Double, Double Trouble
by Gema J. Gall
Summary: Mewtwo wasn't the only clone, and Team Rocket wasn't the only one with scientists. This is the story of Mewtwo, CelebiTwo, and JirachiTwo.
1. Birth

Pokemon Fan Fiction  
  
Double, Double Trouble  
  
By: Gema J. Gall  
  
Disclaimer: I'll own pokemon when I own Nintendo. But that doesn't  
look like it is going to be happening in the future..... at all.  
  
AN/ FF.N seems to be determined to make my life miserable. It is now deleting anything inside , if those even show up. So I had to change the telepathic communication symbol to {Talk}, which really bothers me. Grrrrrrrrr. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
Kanto League.....  
  
The laboratory was shadowy and sterile. The faceless scientists worked in silence. This was the most critical time in their experiment. If they made one mistake, the creature in the glass tube would die before it even had a chance to live.  
  
The creature was lost in its own mind. It had a violet tail that hung over its curled up form. Its ears were pointy, tapered, and stationary. Its neck seemed too thin to hold up its head. But a second neck connected the back of its head to the area between its shoulder blades. Its arms were across its chest, revealing two paws with three round fingers. Its legs were tight against its chest, and they seemed out of proportion to its body. Its triangular eyes slid open a few times, unknown to the observers.  
  
A few air bubbled slipped up unmoving feline form. It had been kept in suspended animation until it had matured. Now was the day the scientists had decided for it to be 'born.' They worked in haste at their computers, not wanting anything to go wrong.  
  
But, their creation had a mind of its own. The glass began to shatter, then it broke, sending liquid everywhere. For a moment it was silent. Everyone feared that something had gone terribly wrong and that the project had failed.  
  
Then, their creation looked up at them with violet eyes, seeing the world for the first time. The bustling scientists paused, shocked at what they were seeing. Their own creation had just decided that it was its time to live. Finally, one scientist stepped forward.  
  
"Quiet," he urged the others. "Let us hear its psychic powers."  
  
{Psychic powers?} the creature asked back, telepathically. This further amazed the scientists.  
  
"For years we have struggled to successfully clone a pokemon to prove our theories. But you are the first specimen to survive," continued the scientist. He had become the unofficial speaker of the group. "That is Mew, the rarest and most powerful pokemon in the world." He gestured to a picture of an ancient carving on the wall. "From its DNA we created you, Mewtwo."  
  
{So, I am no more than a copy, nothing more than Mew's shadow?} Mewtwo asked. He had made no attempt to move yet. He simply sat, perplexing over the strange world he had awaken in.  
  
"You are greater than Mew, enhanced by human ingenuity," answered the scientist.  
  
{So I am nothing more than the end result of your experiment. What becomes of me now that your experiment is over?} Mewtwo asked. None of the scientists noted the fear in his question. They were still surprised he understood everything so fast.  
  
"Our experiment isn't over yet. It is just beginning. Now the serious testing begins," answered the scientist. There was no hiding the excitement in his voice. As if on some invisible command the other scientists broke into congratulations and excited planning.  
  
"We did it!"  
  
"Congratulations."  
  
"Radio Giovanni's helicopter, tell him what happened!"  
  
"After all these years of work..."  
  
"Great job."  
  
"Is the new tank ready?"  
  
"No, we'll have to get a cage."  
  
"We succeeded."  
  
Despite the bustle, no one seemed to care about the creature who was the source of their pride. He listened to their conversation, somewhere between shocked and terrified. His future seemed bleak in deed.  
  
He lowered his head. Then he moved his hands up to the level of his eyes, seeing part of himself for the first time. His hands were knobby and mutated, hardly like the paws he remembered Mew having.  
  
Remembered? No, that was not his life. The visions in his head were not his own. This laboratory was all that he had known. And these experiments were his future. His eyes narrowed as the scientists jabbered on, oblivious to the turmoil he felt inside, his building rage, or his forming plan.  
  
The first blast of psychic power blew the floor into pieces. The scientists stopped in shock as several pipe burst open. Then, complete chaos ensued. The scientists began to panic. Their only thoughts became survival.  
  
Machinery broke and the building was burning. One of the scientists hit a button and the air was filled with metal claws. They shoot straight towards Mewtwo, but he easily deflected and destroyed them.  
  
The scientists were running for dear life as debris and smoke filled the room. But everywhere they turned there was fire. There was no way out, and the entire place was burning. They had completely forgotten about the pokemon who was dictating the fire. The one they had created, who now turned on them.  
  
All but one, that is. He cringed in the corner furthest from the fire. The screams of his companions dying and of fire cracking filled the air. Then, the flames cleared to reveal Mewtwo, as he summoned his energy for one final assault.  
  
"We dreamed of creating the world's strongest pokemon. And we succeeded," he said. Then the entire building went up in a burst of fire and psychic energies.  
  
Smoke rose from the smoldering rubble. Only one creature was alive on that island lab. The rest had all been killed. The creation had turned on his creators. And now, the entire world had to deal with him.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League.....  
  
"This has to work, it just has to," said one scientist.  
  
"It'd better," snapped another. "Or else our funding gets cut."  
  
"That wasn't what I meant," retorted the first.  
  
"Quiet you two, we have to be careful that nothing goes wrong," a third scolded them. In the room were seven scientists total. It hardly seemed to matter that they were individuals. They all looked alike in their sterile lab coats, with the strange lighting falling on them  
  
The room itself was simple. Only the necessary equipment was allowed. A large computer set up took up the better half of the center. Wired in front of this machinery was a single tube. The creature sleeping inside of it seemed to be lost in the shadows of the machines. Three other monitoring centers had been set up. At each center was two scientists. The seventh supervised the process.  
  
Inside of the tube was a green creature that had never seen the world before. It had flowing green hair that went down to about the middle of its back. Two curly antenna wrapped around the sides of its head. The only distinguishing feature about the face were the two large eyes, that were still closed. Behind it sprouted two delicate gossamer wings, which curled around the entire body, almost like they were shielding the pokemon from the rest of the world. Its arms seemed a tad too long for the body. They ended into short hands, which looked like mittens, consisting of a big mitt and a thumb. The lowest part of its legs were a dark forest green, which faded into a pale pastel green around the neck. Its legs was muscular, but its knees seemed a tad knobby. The same could be said for its elbows. Several wires ran from various points on the pokemon's body.  
  
The scientists monitored everything carefully. Pulse, blood pressure, and brain waves were normal.  
  
It was a tense time. These scientists had been hired by the same people who created Mewtwo, to do the exact same thing. But how they had gone about that had been entirely different. The two groups had been competing for their financier's favor. If this failed, they lost. This was the point of no return.  
  
"All signs are normal," reported one scientist. The lead scientist nodded.  
  
With a deep breath he ordered them to continue, "Drain the tank."  
  
"Draining tank," repeated one as she pressed the button. With a slight bubbling noise, the level of the liquid in the tank began to drop. First uncovering the head of the pokemon, then shoulders on down.  
  
"Status," snapped the leader.  
  
"All things are normal," they reported back.  
  
"Proceed," he ordered.  
  
The liquid had been completely drained from the tank, but the pokemon still had not moved.  
  
"The specimen should be waking by now," muttered the very first speaker. "Doctor, we may be having problems."  
  
"What is it?" he demanded.  
  
"The pokemon should be coming around, but there has been no change," she reported. Then, one of the alarms began to flash.  
  
"The pulse is dropping!" cried one.  
  
"The brain waves are going erratic," reported another.  
  
"Stability it!" ordered their leader.  
  
"No improvement. Switching energy to life support," said another, while frantically working on the keyboard.  
  
"It has gone into cardiac arrest!"  
  
"Oh, dear lord no."  
  
"This can't be happening."  
  
"We won't lose it!"  
  
"We have to get it out of there!" said the first speaker. She hit a button on her panel and the glass casing slid away, leaving the pokemon sprawled out, unconscious on the platform.  
  
"What are you doing!?" demanded the leader.  
  
She ignored him. She raced out from behind her console and raced to the pokemon. Showing why she truly earned her degree, she ripped several wires off, sending sparks everywhere. She then used these as a defibrillator. The pokemon convulsed at the sudden surge of energy that raced through its body.  
  
"Try it again," urged the one at the heart monitor.  
  
She did.  
  
"Pulse is stabilizing."  
  
"Its brain waves are returning to normal."  
  
"It's breathing," said the first scientists, when she noticed the rise and fall of their creations heart. She brushed a sweaty piece of hair aside and watched in amazement.  
  
"Everything has returned to normal," reported one.  
  
"I think Celebitwo is going to make it," added another.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League.....  
  
While Team Rocket was earning its reputation in the Johto, Kanto, and Orange Island Leagues, a new power was rising in the island league of Hoenn. This new gang was actually formed by dissenters from Team Rocket. Since these people knew Team Rocket's aspirations, they used their old background to create new trouble.  
  
This new gang had no name yet, but it was determined to do one thing, beat Team Rocket at its own game. Many of their techniques were similar to their former gang, not just only techniques, but goals and methods too. One facet of this new gang was their desire to control the strongest pokemon around.  
  
But, they knew about Team Rocket's ambitions to create the world's strongest pokemon. They didn't know how far Team Rocket had gotten, though. But Team Rocket wasn't the only gang with scientists.  
  
The new gang began to focus on one legendary pokemon, Jirachi, who is said to have disappeared from the face of the planet centuries ago. Well, maybe Jirachi didn't completely disappear, because, through rigorous studying and searching, enough was found to study.  
  
Granted, a few golden strands aren't much, but when someone is trying to revive an ancient legend, every little bit helps. Also, this wasn't the only thing the new gang was formulating. Maybe they would have been better off if they didn't diversify. But, they did, and rifts began to grow.  
  
Disagreement came in about what pokemon to study, and what different methods to use. Two other legends, Kyogre and Groudon, proved to be the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. The new gang split into two parts. These two parts began to call themselves Team Aqua and Team Magma.  
  
But, before they split, they attempted to clone a pokemon, just like Team Rocket had. They didn't have near the facilities or the knowledge, but that didn't stop them from trying.  
  
Their lab was unique, it was the first to have windows. Their lab was clean and well lit, both with sun and florescent lighting. Their technical set up was well organized, too. The tank was in the middle, with several monitoring stations around it in a full circle. There was also a decent number of scientists. They may not have been the smartest, but they had worked hard, motivated out of sheer hatred for the rival gang.  
  
The pokemon inside that case was far from thinking about revenge though. Its thoughts dwelt on flying, of blue skies and crystal waters, green trees and lovely flowers, on things that could be summed up in one word; freedom.  
  
Unlike the previous cloning attempts, this tank horizontal and the pokemon sleeping inside was laying on its back. It was primarily sky blue. Its head was a slightly darker shade of blue. It had the large hat like anatomical part that Jirachi had. But, instead of the points being finished by short blue ribbons, the clone's ribbons were long and golden. They wrapped around it neck and stopped halfway down its back. A golden charm was embedded in the center of its chest. Its arms were long and they ended in dainty, too small paws. Around its waist was a ridge of longer, darker blue fur. Its thighs were thick, but its forelegs were narrow. Its feet were about the same as its paws, too narrow. All in all, the pokemon looked a little top heavy.  
  
Images began to flash more rapidly in Jirachitwo's mind. (No one said they were good with name, in fact, quite the opposite is true, considering they hadn't even named themselves yet.) The scenes changed from beautiful sunsets to rolling ocean waves to majestic mountains. But, the sunsets became more and more dominating. The scenes became night. Jirachitwo began to drift deep and deeper off as darkness began to take it.  
  
"Vital signs are dropping!" a voice rang out, panicking.  
  
"Jirachitwo is becoming unstable," warned another.  
  
"Then do something about it!" snapped a third, who was frantically typing on his keyboard.  
  
The monitors continued to beep their alarm. But, that only succeeded in making the scientists even more panicky. The only one who wasn't effected by the noise was Jirachitwo. It was too far gone to notice anything.  
  
But then, in a massive surge of energy, the pokemon's eyes flew open, only to shut again. The monitors began to beep everyone's worst fears; flatlined.  
  
"We are going to lose it!"  
  
"We have to do something!"  
  
"Revive it!"  
  
"Preparing for electro-surge." A bolt of electricity was sent through the tank, but it had no effect.  
  
"Do it again!" Jirachitwo's body convulsed from it, but the low moaning machines only reaffirmed that they had failed.  
  
"Increasing voltage." Jirachitwo was jolted with another surge, but this one was as futile as the last. The long beep continued, and everyone in the room was silent.  
  
Finally, one voiced the truth, "We've lost it."  
  
This incident was quickly forgotten in the rift which tore these scientists into Team Aqua and Team Magma. But, though forgotten, Jirachitwo would still have an impact on the pokemon world.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
AN/ I really wanted to start this fic, so I went out on a limb with Jirachi and Team Aqua/Magma. But many thanks to firewolf for helping with some of the blanks. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy!) 


	2. The Beginnings of Life

Kanto League.....  
  
{You say this armor protects my body, but it hinders my powers,} said the feline pokemon as he stood in the high-tech armor his human partner had given him.  
  
"Your powers are not being hindered, but focused," replied Giovanni. No one would have guessed his alternative motives, least of all Mewtwo.  
  
The training began. Having a super powered clone was something new, and everyone, especially Giovanni, was looking forward to the results. Plans were forming in his mind as he watched his creation work.  
  
The training started off fairly easy. No one knew what Mewtwo would be capable of, but he exceeded their expectations. He completed each test with easy. It didn't take Team Rocket long to realize the power of their clone. Mewtwo quickly beat any single opponent he faced. They then tested him against numerous opponents, and each time he was successful.  
  
For instance, once they tried his psychic power against and entire stampeding herd of Tauros. Mewtwo summoned a great Whirlwind, which picked up each pokemon, making it easy to capture. He did all this with very little strain what so ever.  
  
Mewtwo was then brought into the Viridian City gym, to test his strength against trained battlers. Each opponent was disposed of with relative ease. Even an Alakazam, the pinacle pf psychic power, was thrown into the nearest wall before it could strike. To add insult to injury, Mewtwo bent Alakazam's spoons. Even a team of a Nidoking and an Arcanine were no match for his powers.  
  
"So this is my power," thought Mewtwo. "I am in control now." He was proud of his accomplishments and happy with the partnership he had formed.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League.....  
  
"I think it is finally waking up!" exclaimed the female scientist. She had not left the side of Celebitwo, because she was afraid for the clone's very life. But, luckily, Celebitwo had survived the night.  
  
"It is about time," muttered her impatient co-worker. Neither had gotten any sleep, but he was especially grumpy.  
  
"Shhhhhh," she shushed him, as she eagerly watched the clone. Celebitwo was face down on an examining table, due to its delicate wings.  
  
The clone began to stir, and the monitors connected to it began to pick up. Celebitwo's wings fluttered slightly, and its head began to move. Its eyes fluttered for a second before closing again. Slow muscle spasms raced through its body. The scientists were holding thier breath in nervous anticipation.  
  
The Celebitwo's eyes snapped open. The intense blue eyes scanned the sterile lab as their owner tried to piece together the strange reality. The female scientist stepped forward. She wanted to say something, to do something, but no words would come out.  
  
Celebitwo struggled to a sitting position and stared at the two humans who were there. Then, in a clearly feminine mental voice, she asked, {Where am I? What am I?}  
  
"Um....." stammered the female scientist, "This is the Blackthorn City pokemon lab. You are Celebitwo...... My name is Doctor Maple, and this is Prof. Hickory......" she trailed off, not knowing what to say.  
  
{What happened?} asked Celebitwo, who was just as confused as her creators, but in a completely different way.  
  
"We created you from DNA we found in the Ilex Forest, the DNA of the legendary pokemon Celebi," answered Prof. Hickory. Celebitwo quickly processed this information.  
  
{You created me?} she asked incredulously, like she did not want to accept that idea. He nodded yes, but Dr. Maple remained silent, namely in surprise and awe.  
  
{Am I nothing more than Celebi's replacement?} there was a hint of dread in her question.  
  
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Dr. Maple. "You are Celebitwo, not Celebi. You are an entirely new specie."  
  
{What happened to Celebi?} she asked.  
  
"Celebi has never been seen," she answered. "Most people think that Celebi is just a myth. We had a hard enough time finding a genetic sample."  
  
"But your very existence proves the legends and our theories!" interrupted Prof. Hickory. This earned his a glare from Dr. Maple.  
  
Celebitwo was now thoroughly confused. Her eyes never stayed focused, but darted from the people to the machinery to the walls and back again. Doctor Maple noticed the nervousness, and decided to step in.  
  
"Are you feeling OK?" she asked, with a notebook ready to record the results.  
  
{What do you mean?} the clone asked.  
  
"You went through a lot yesterday, we nearly lost you," said Dr. Maple. "We want to make sure that you are healthy. I don't want to lose you again." This came as a surprise to Celebitwo, and her eyes opened a little wider.  
  
"I'll go get the others," volunteered Prof. Hickory as he walked out of the door.  
  
{Others?} asked Celebitwo.  
  
"Other humans who are going to help us, to make sure that you are healthy," answered Dr. Maple.  
  
{Humans?} asked Celebitwo.  
  
"Other creatures like me," supplied Dr. Maple.  
  
{I thought you were a Dr. Maple, how are you a human?}  
  
"Human is my specie, but my name is Dr. Maple, just like your specie is Celebitwo."  
  
{Do I have a name?} asked the clone. Dr. Maple was surprised at that. Of course Celebitwo had never been given a name, it had always been Celebitwo. But, why shouldn't Celebitwo have a name?  
  
"How about Celitwo?" asked Dr. Maple.  
  
{Celitwo,} said Celebitwo, as she turned the idea around in here mind before she agreed to it.  
  
Then, the rest of the scientists came in. They were talking among themselves about the clone, but none felt the need to address her. Celitwo cringed back because of their attitudes.  
  
"Don't be afraid, they aren't going to hurt you," soothed Dr. Maple. "We just want to make sure that you are safe, and will live for a long time."  
  
{Is it necessary?} asked Celitwo as she eyed the tools the other scientists had. Dr. Maple nodded. With a deep breath as she summoned her courage, {Is there anything I can do to help?}  
  
"Why don't you lay down again?" suggested Dr. Maple.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League.....  
  
"Now what?" asked one scientist as they all stared at the unmoving form of Jirachitwo.  
  
"We have to get rid of the body, and report to the boss," answered another. There was no mistaking the sober atmosphere.  
  
They quickly divided up the tasks. Several scientists left to contact their employer, or else just leave to go home, it was hard to say which. They slowly began to disperse. There was little talking, or glances at their failed experiment, however. There was a dark cloud haning over everyone. Outside, a group of four stopped to talk.  
  
"I guess we can take care of the body," said one.  
  
"We can just send it to the crematory, that is probably the easiest solution," suggested another. They all nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'll be right in to help you," said one of the female scientists. "But I need to run to the restroom."  
  
"I'll go with you," volunteered another girl. They walked off together.  
  
"We never would have failed if we were focusing on Kyogre," muttered one of those left.  
  
"What did you say?" asked another, curious, but also angry.  
  
"I said that we never would have failed of we were studying Kyogre," he repeated.  
  
"I don't think so," the latter retorted. "Groudon is the only way this team will succeed." A verbal brawl broke out, dealing with the issues that were splitting the gang in half. They spent the better part of a half an hour arguing, before they remembered they had work to do.  
  
They returned to the lab, only to find Jirachitwo gone.  
  
"The girls must have been here already," one grumbled.  
  
"That never would have happened if you weren't so hard-headed," retorted the second. Their argument started again. Arguments and feuds were all too common place, and the gang was on the verge of splitting.  
  
The guys had left, when not five minutes later the two female scientists entered. They, too, were shocked to see an empty room.  
  
"I guess the guys must have cleaned up for us," said one, after a long pause of silence.  
  
"They must have," agreed the second. "They are such gentlemen." The two walked out, leaving another mystery in the world.  
  
**************************************************************************** **** 


	3. Pain

Kanto League.....  
  
{I now fully perceive my power, but what is my purpose?} Mewtwo asked himself one night. He had finally realized what he was capable of, thanks to the training he had had with Giovanni, but he had yet to understand anything else about his existence. While Giovanni had been more than helpful in his training, he was incredibly mysterious to the questions the clone asked. Mewtwo was beginning to distrust him.  
  
Mewtwo hadn't realized that he had been talking out-loud, or that Giovanni was close enough to hear. Giovanni answered his question, and the answer was anything but expected. "To serve your master."  
  
{What?} asked Mewtwo, in stunned disbelief. He was more than shocked by what he heard. {You said that we were partners! That we stood as equals!}  
  
"You were created by humans to obey humans, you could never be our equal," said Giovanni, coolly. He had no idea the reaction he had caused would be so aggressive.  
  
{Humans may have created me, but they will never enslave me!} Mewtwo said as he summoned his psychic powers. The first blast turned the nearby machinery into melted scrap metal.  
  
"Stop this!" ordered Giovanni as he began to see his mistake.  
  
{I was created by humans to obey humans, but my creators have used and betrayed me. So, I stand alone!} yelled Mewtwo as he began to destroy the gym, much like he did the lab.  
  
The walls were torn open. The roof was ripped away. Everything was burning. Giovanni had to flee for his life. With one final surge of power, Mewtwo blew the building to atoms. In the smoke he fled, the armor falling from him.  
  
Mewtwo had little idea where to go, but he found himself on New Island, the place where he had been created. He dropped the final piece of armor, the helmet, to the ground and looked out over the world with malice. Revenge was the only thing he could think of, and a plan was forming in him mind to achieve that goal.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League.....  
  
"Celitwo?" asked Dr. Maple.  
  
{Hmmm?} asked the clone, groggily.  
  
Celebitwo had been asleep in her 'room.' It had originally been the cage that was designed to hold her. But when Dr. Maple realized how intelligent she was she had to put her foot down. So, the lock had been removed from the cage and a few other things had been modified to give the clone more privacy. Dr. Maple had testified on Celitwo's behalf. She promised that the clone would not escape.  
  
"Good morning," greeted Dr. Maple. "Are you ready to begin?"  
  
{Is all this necessary?} asked Celitwo. She asked this everyday.  
  
"Yes," said Dr. Maple. Celitwo sighed and stood up. She stood about a head taller than Dr. Maple.  
  
Dr. Maple led her into the next room where an examination table was ready. Celitwo climbed on and looked at the humans that surrounded her. She did not like the tests, but she trusted they had her best interests in mind.  
  
The scientists immediately began to hook her up to the monitors. Celitwo eyed each one suspiciously, but made no effort to resist.  
  
"Can you hold up your arm?" asked Dr. Maple. In her hand was a syringe. "We need a blood sample." The very fact that she asked earned her weird looks from her co-workers. Celitwo complied, out of loyalty to the scientist.  
  
{Is everything going to be OK?} asked Celitwo later that day. All of the talk about her health had made her a trifle nervous.  
  
"From what we can tell, there are no problems," replied Dr. Maple. Celitwo seemed relieved by this. "You look about as relieved as I feel."  
  
Celitwo seemed taken back by this.   
  
"Of course I do," responded Dr. Maple. "You are another living creature." Celitwo's eyes smiled at the answer.  
  
"Get some rest," suggested Dr. Maple. "It is getting late, and I have to get home."  
  
{Home? Do I have a home?} she asked.  
  
Dr. Maple thought about it for a moment. "I guess this is your home." She gestured to the lab.  
  
{But, where do I belong?} asked Celitwo.  
  
Again, it took Dr. Maple some time to answer. "I don't think anyone knows the answer to that. That is something that everyone has to find out for themselves." Celitwo was silent. "Good night." She walked out.  
  
Outside of the door Dr. Maple collided with Prof. Hickory. They pulled back and apologized. Then Dr. Maple noticed how agitated her co-worker was.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"You haven't heard?" he replied.  
  
"Hear what?" asked Dr. Maple.  
  
"Our funding got cut," he said, dejectedly.  
  
"What?!" gasped Dr. Maple.  
  
"Giovanni pulled out. We are going to have to shut down," he answered.  
  
"But.... But, what about Celitwo?" she asked.  
  
"I have no idea," he answered. "All that I heard was that Giovanni was pleased with New Island's results, so he is pulling our funding."  
  
"But, we succeeded! Celitwo is alive!" protested Dr. Maple.  
  
"I know, I know," groaned Prof. Hickory. "But there is nothing we can do."  
  
He walked away, lost in his own disappointment. Dr. Maple stood there in shock. She had no idea what to think.  
  
The next day.....  
  
Dr. Maple woke up the next morning under a dark cloud. She was depressed about their project closing, and she was worried about what would happen to Celitwo.  
  
Some how she managed to drag herself to work, even though she knew she was only in for disappointment. The other six scientists had arrived before her. She exited her car and prepared to confront them inside.  
  
Dr. Maple was not in the least prepared for the reaction she got when she entered. Her colleagues had been busy, eagerly discussing something. But the minute she entered they turned to her, their faces beaming with smiles. She looked back, puzzled.  
  
One raced to her and embraced her. "Did you hear what happened?"  
  
"I thought we had lost our funding," replied a very perplexed Dr. Maple.  
  
"We did," said Prof. Hickory. "But did you see the news last night?"  
  
"No....."  
  
"There was an accident, and the Viridian City gym exploded!" exclaimed another.  
  
"All of the other team's research was lost." Added a third.  
  
"Giovanni called this morning. He has doubled our funding to make up for what we lost!" finished Prof. Hickory.  
  
"Really?!" gasped Dr. Maple. There were no words to describe the look on her face and the relief that she felt. "What about Celitwo?"  
  
"Celebitwo is still sleeping," reported one.  
  
"Then, I guess we should wake her and get to work," said Dr. Maple with a smile. She was a person who truly loved her job.  
  
"No," said Prof. Hickory. "Giovanni is coming today, to check on the progress of the project. We are going to have to give him a full report."  
  
"Sure," said Dr. Maple as she left the room to go see Celitwo.  
  
The clone was sitting in her 'room.' She had a look of deep contemplation on her face. Dr. Maple knocked polite to catch the pokemon's attention.  
  
{Hello,} greeted Celitwo as she snapped back to reality. {Are we doing more tests today?} She said the last part with a hint of nervousness.  
  
"No," replied Dr. Maple. "There is a man coming today who wants to meet you."  
  
{Who?}  
  
"His name is Giovanni, and he helped us create you by giving us money," answered Dr. Maple. Celitwo got a strange look in her eyes before she answered.  
  
{If it is for the best....} she agreed, with much apprehension.  
  
"Thanks," smiled Dr. Maple. She was still ecstatic about the news of their funding.  
  
"He's coming," said Prof. Hickory as he raced into the room.  
  
"Who? Giovanni! But he wasn't supposed to come until later!" protested Dr. Maple. Celitwo stepped backwards at the sudden flurry of activity.  
  
"Well, he's here now," said Prof. Hickory.  
  
"Are you ready?" Dr. Maple asked Celitwo. But the pokemon had no time to answer before more people entered the room.  
  
Leading the way were the other five scientists. Giovanni was behind them, with two of his flunkies. Celitwo saw them entered and visibly cringed back.  
  
{He is an evil man,} she whispered, quiet enough so that only Dr. Maple could hear.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League.....  
  
AN/ I disclaim this poem! I really like it, though, and I think it fits with the future of this segment of the fic.  
  
"A Psalm of Life"  
  
Tell me not in mournful numbers  
  
Life is but an empty dream,  
  
For the soul is dead that slumbers,  
  
And things are not what they seem.  
  
Life is real, life is earnest,  
  
And the grave is not its goal.  
  
Dust thou art, to dust returneth  
  
Was not spoken of the soul.  
  
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow  
  
Is our destined end or way,  
  
But to act, that each tomorrow  
  
Find us further than today.  
  
Art is long and time is fleeting  
  
And our hearts, though stout and brave,  
  
Still like muffled drums are beating  
  
Funeral marches to the grave.  
  
In the world's broad field of battle,  
  
In the bivouac of life,  
  
Be not dumb, driven cattle  
  
Be a hero in the strife.  
  
Trust no future, however pleasant.  
  
Let the dead past bury its dead.  
  
Act, act in the living present  
  
Heart within, God overhead.  
  
Lives of great men remind us  
  
We can make our lives sublime,  
  
And departing leave behind us  
  
Footprints in the sands of time.  
  
Footprints that perhaps another  
  
Sailing over life's solemn main,  
  
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,  
  
Seeing may take heart again.  
  
Let us then be up and doing  
  
With a heart for any fate.  
  
Still achieving, still pursuing  
  
Learn to labor and to wait.  
  
*************************************************************************** ***** 


	4. Freedom

Kanto League.....  
  
AN/ I have the cutest picture of Jirachi, for anyone who wants it.  
Just e-mail me at princess8light@yahoo.com. And, as always, please  
read, review, and enjoy! J  
  
It was time. Months of planning had gone into Mewtwo's scheme and  
today was the day he was going to carry it out. Today was the day of  
his revenge. His fortress had been built. His labs were ready. He  
had two pokemon and a human to do his bidding. And now, the whole  
world was going to regret having ever betrayed him.  
  
He had sent his Fearow out on patrol, looking for trainers with  
powerful pokemon. Powerful pokemon were the main part of his plan.  
He needed to have powerful pokemon to make powerful clones like  
himself. Clones who could easily beat any opponent they faced. They  
would never be as powerful as him, granted, but they would be stronger  
than the weaklings that infested this world. His clones would purge  
the world of the treacherous plague that inhabited it, and make it  
their home.  
  
A group of trainers appeared on his monitors. Two boys were in the  
middle of a pokemon battle. It seemed ridiculously one sided. There  
was a Machamp fighting a puny Squirtle, an easy victory for the  
Machamp.  
  
But, much to Mewtwo's surprise, one Bubblebeam from the Squirtle KO'ed  
the Machamp. Mewtwo watched the battle with renewed interest. In a  
grande finale, a Pikachu knocked out a Venomoth, Pinsir, and Golem.  
  
Mewtwo motioned for his human mind slave to come over. She was the  
Nurse Joy of the nearest poke-center.  
  
"Shall I extend an invitation to these trainers as well?" Mewtwo had  
her ask. There was no real point in having her talk, considering he  
put the words in her mouth. If only the silence wasn't so deafening.  
  
"As you wish," she said as he dismissed her with a wave of his paw.  
  
The remaining pokemon, a Dragonite, was sent to them with an  
invitation and a reply card.  
  
Mewtwo ordered Fearow away and focused on the second phase of his  
plan. He summoned all of his psychic powers together and began to  
manipulate the very elements. The winds picked up and the waters  
rose. Rain began to pour. Mewtwo started waving his paw in a  
circular motion, forcing the storm inland. He put all of his hate,  
all of his malice, bitterness, and desire for revenge into this storm.  
It was a truly tremendous storm. A person would have to be either  
insane, stupid, or strong to venture forth in it. Mewtwo was hoping  
for the latter.  
  
The storm was in place, now all he needed were the humans who would  
provide the pokemon and DNA to finish his plans. Once that was done,  
he would wipe out the world and recreate it, filling it with clones  
like himself.  
  
Later.....  
  
The last of the trainers had arrived. It was the final bunch he had  
sent invitations to. They had almost drowned on the way over. Pity  
they didn't. But, it proved that their pokemon were strong, and that  
was all that mattered.  
  
Mewtwo had Nurse Joy make the final preparations for his appearance.  
He watched the pokemon milling about below. Everything was perfect.  
Mewtwo started his descent down the spiral staircase he had made. All  
of the lights went off. The only light came from the glowing blue  
shaft he had created.  
  
Mewtwo began to sense their responses. There was a lot of surprise,  
and some were curious. But there was also fear, and that was what he  
wanted.  
  
The whole time Nurse Joy continued to speak, at his bidding. "You are  
about to meet my master. It is time for your encounter with the  
greatest pokemon master on earth."  
  
There was some low grumblings at that followed this remark. Let them  
grumble. It is going to be one of the last things they will ever do.  
  
"The world's greatest pokemon master is also the world's strongest  
pokemon; the ruler of New Island and soon the whole world." Mewtwo  
gazed venomously over the trainers, daring them to challenge him.  
  
"A pokemon can't be a pokemon master!" exclaimed Fergus, a water type  
trainer. "No way!" He rose from his seat in anger. Mewtwo was  
mildly amused. These children were going to be easier to deal with  
than he could have possibly imagined.  
  
{Quite human, from now on, I am making the rules,} said Mewtwo with  
Nurse Joy echoing him. It was time to show these pathetic humans  
their place.  
  
With one wave of his paw he caught Fergus and lifted him fifty feet  
into the air. He left the boy suspended there a few seconds, giving  
him time to be seen, as an example. Then, Mewtwo began to close his  
paw, slowing putting pressure on Fergus. His eyes began to bulge as  
he tried not to scream.  
  
Mewtwo smiled to himself. "Let them feel pain," he thought. "Let  
them know what I have had to go through before they die."  
  
He threw Fergus into the fountain. His plan wasn't finished yet.  
Mewtwo needed the boy alive, for now.  
  
"We'll show you!" exclaimed Fergus as he swam out. He was mad, mad  
because he was helpless, even if he didn't realize that. "Let's go  
Gyarados! Hyper Beam!"  
  
A brilliant multicolored beam was sent right at Mewtwo. He didn't  
even blink. He simply raised a paw and sent it straight back at  
Gyarados. The water serpent was hit directly and thrown into the wall,  
where it collapsed under the waterfall.  
  
"Gyarados!" exclaimed its trainer as he swam out to it.  
  
{Child's play,} said Mewtwo. It had been too easy. Humans and pokemon  
were so pathetic. But soon, they would all be dead and the world  
would be his. He turned his attention back to Nurse Joy. He released her with a snap of his wrist and  
she staggered forward.  
  
One boy, Brock, raced forward to catch her. Mewtwo enjoyed their  
shocked looks when they realized she was the missing pokemon nurse.  
  
"How did I get here?" she asked, bewildered.  
  
{You have been under my control,} answered Mewtwo. {I transported you  
here from the pokemon center. Your knowledge of pokemon physiology  
proved useful to my plans. And now I have cleansed you tiny human  
brain of the memories of the past three weeks.} It had been so easy,  
too. How could he have ever thought he was equal to humans. He was  
far superior than they will ever be. And soon, they will pay for  
assuming they were greater than he was. Revenge is so sweet.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Brock as he help the still disoriented Nurse Joy  
to her feet.  
  
{I am the new ruler of this world, the master of humans and pokemon  
alike,} he answered.  
  
"You're just a bully!" exclaimed the other water type trainer, Misty.  
It seemed to take all her courage to defiantly shout that. Mewtwo let  
her go without using her as an example, though. She would die soon  
enough.  
  
{You humans are a dangerous specie,} said Mewtwo. {You brought me  
into this world with no other purpose than to be your slave. But now  
I have my own purpose. With my storm I will create my own world, by  
destroying yours.}  
  
They seemed a little confused by this. Let them be confused. They  
would understand soon enough. The minutes were ticking down for their  
insignificant lives.  
  
"So, you hate all humans, and you are going to destroy us to save  
pokemon," said Brock. They still did not get it. How naive. They  
were going to pay for all the pain that they put pokemon through. And  
pokemon were going to pay for their ignorance. Clones will rule the  
world, because clones were unspoiled by humans and their pathetic,  
brainwashed slaves.  
  
{No, your pokemon will not be spared. They have disgraced themselves  
by serving humans. Those pokemon are nothing but slaves.}  
  
"Pika! Pika-pika!" exclaimed the Pikachu as it jumped off of its  
trainer's shoulder.  
  
{So, you say that I am wrong? That you are not this human's servant,  
you are his friend?} asked Mewtwo. This only proved that he was  
right. Pokemon have become incapable of thinking for themselves.  
They are nothing more that slaves to humans. {You are as pathetic as  
the rest of them.}  
  
These pokemon and humans were getting a little too rebellious. It was  
time to put them in their place. Mewtwo picked up the Pikachu and  
sent it flying backwards. {Humans and pokemon can never be friends.}  
That was a truth he had to learn the hard way.  
  
With a surprisingly quick reaction, its trainer, Ash, dove and caught  
it. They hit the ground hard.  
  
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. How dare a human interfere. And, why did he?  
  
"Ash, are you OK?" asked Misty as she raced to her friend.  
  
"Don't you dare pick on Pikachu," said Ash as he stood up. He sounded  
as if his fall had hurt him. Let them hurt. Let them know pain.  
  
"If you are a pokemon, then there is no reason I can't capture you!"  
exclaimed Corey, the final male trainer. The idea seemed like an  
epiphany to him. It was a joke to Mewtwo. This boy would be the  
first to die for his insolence. When the time was right, that is.  
  
"Rhyhorn!" ordered Corey and the pokemon sprung into action.  
  
It charged the psychic clone like it was a tank. Mewtwo waited until  
the last moment. How many demonstrations was it going to take for  
these humans to understand that he could not be beaten, and that he  
know controlled their fates?  
  
Rhyhorn lunged for an attack. Mewtwo caught it in mid-air by its horn  
with his psychic powers. Rhyhorn kept motoring away, its legs trying  
to push against the air. It seemed very alarmed to be hovering three  
feet off of the ground. After holding it there for a few seconds,  
Mewtwo sent it flying back. It skidded along the tabletop before  
collapsing at the end.  
  
"No, Rhyhorn!" gasped Corey as he ran over. He seemed concerned, but  
Mewtwo wasn't going to be fooled. Humans lie, and this was nothing  
more than a show. He had seen it all too often with Giovanni.  
  
{Fools! Your pokemons' attacks cannot weaken me. My powers are too  
great. No trainer can conquer me,} said Mewtwo. It was time to move  
into the next part of his plan. Humans were to predictable. It didn't  
take a psychic to figure out what they would do next.  
  
"Then you wouldn't mind proving it in a pokemon match," stated Ash.  
There was a look of determination in his eyes. Little did he know  
that he was not only doomed to fail, but he was doomed as well.  
  
{Is that a challenge?} asked Mewtwo, knowing that it was.  
  
"You bet it is!" replied Ash. The next trap had been set.  
  
Mewtwo's eyes began to glow as he awoke his first three clones from  
their tanks. The humans cringed back when they saw him using his  
powers. They didn't know what the results would be. They were  
finally learning fear. His Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise were  
waking up and making their way to his side. Even though they were new  
to the world, they should have an easy enough time disposing any minor  
threat these humans could concoct.  
  
He opened the floor and they appeared, further surprising the  
trainers. {Like most pokemon trainers, I too started with Charmander,  
Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. But for their evolved forms.... I used their  
genetic material to clone even more powerful copies.} Copies? He had  
used that word?!  
  
"Copies!" exclaimed Neesha, the remaining trainer.  
  
"They're clones!" exclaimed Corey.  
  
Mewtwo did not like the superior attitude they were developing. It  
was time they learned. His eyes glowed once more and the back wall  
faded into oblivion. A full size pokemon arena was revealed.  
  
"A stadium!" exclaimed Brock. "Mewtwo planned this all along!" So,  
now they knew they had walked into a trap. But would they continue to  
fall for it? Humans were so stupid. They would.  
  
"Your fake Venusaur can't beat my real one!" exclaimed Corey, jumping  
to his feet.  
  
"We'll blow that Blastoise away, right Shellshocker!" said Neesha.  
Her Blastoise agreed and stepped forward. They were both so pathetic.  
And they were going to pay for their poor judgment.  
  
"He may not have a nickname, but I do have Charizard," said Ash as he  
pulled a poke-ball off of his belt.  
  
His Charizard appeared. It grunt with disapproval, then eyed up the  
pokemon clone. It launched a Flamethrower. Mewtwo turned it into an  
icy mist.  
  
"Charizard, I didn't say to start," said Ash, nervously.  
  
{Your Charizard is poorly trained,} replied Mewtwo, his contempt for  
humans growing.  
  
The trainers and their pokemon filed into the arena. Mewtwo and his  
clones took their place at one end of the stadium, eager to finish  
what they had started.  
  
{Which of you will oppose me first?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
"I underestimated you last time," said Corey, stepping forward. "That  
won't happen again." He motioned his Venusaur forward at the same  
time Mewtwo's ordered his forward. The two walked to the field.  
  
"Go Bruteroot, Razor Leaf!" ordered Corey. His Venusaur responded  
instantly, and a dozen razor sharp leaves were sent straight at the  
clone Venusaur.  
  
{Vine Whip,} ordered Mewtwo, simply. His Venusaur reacted. Its vines  
stopped every single leaf before wrapping around Bruteroot and  
throwing it into the nearest wall. It was an instant KO.  
  
"Bruteroot!" exclaimed Corey as he raced to his pokemon's side.  
  
"It looks like I'm up. Go, Shellshocker!" ordered Neesha and her  
Blastoise charged forward. Mewtwo nodded and his went forward, as  
well.  
  
"Shellshocker, Hydro Pump!" ordered Neesha.  
  
Her pokemon complied and began to force gallons of water at the clone.  
But the clone started to use Rapid Spin. It spiral through the air,  
straight through the Hydro Pump, and into Shellshocker. Neesha's  
pokemon hit the ground hard. Another pathetically quick victory.  
  
"Shellshocker!" cried Neesha as she ran to her pokemon.  
  
"You'd better forfeit, Ash. Those clones are too powerful!" pleaded  
Misty, showing the first common sense any of them had. The clone  
Charizard had taken to the field.  
  
"I'm not giving up," said Ash. "Charizard, use your speed, not power,  
and you'll win. Alright, go!" It was a pathetic strategy.  
  
The two Charizard took to the air, dive and launching Flamethrowers.  
It became a deadly aerial ballet. But it wouldn't last long.  
  
"Can't Charizard move any quicker?!" asked Misty.  
  
"The clone it too fast!" pointed-out Brock.  
  
"Charizard is in trouble!" exclaimed Ash.  
  
The clone Charizard had managed to come behind Ash's Charizard. It  
forced its opponent's wings closed and they began to plummet to the  
ground. Mewtwo had a strange smile. They hit the ground  
hard. The clone got up and flew to Mewtwo's side. Ash's Charizard  
let out a weak below and collapsed.  
  
"No, Charizard, no!" cried Ash as he too raced to his pokemon's side.  
"Are you OK?"  
  
{As the victor, I now claim my prize,} said Mewtwo. He spread his  
hands and three dark spheres that resembled poke-balls appeared in the  
air, {your pokemon!}  
  
Before the trainers could react, the estranged poke-balls had caught  
Blastoise, Charizard, and Venusaur. All they could do was protest.  
But mostly, they were too worn out to do more than gasp.  
  
"Hey, wait!" protested Ash.  
  
"What are you going to do with those pokemon?" demanded Misty.  
  
{I will extract their DNA to make clones for myself,} answered Mewtwo.  
And then his plan would be complete. All that would be left was for  
him to seize the world. {They will remain safe on this island with me  
while my storm destroys the planet.} Revenge was going to be so  
sweet. Maybe he should track Giovanni down so he could beg before he  
died.  
  
"You can't do that!" argued Brock.  
  
"Yeah, Mewtwo, we won't let you!" agreed Ash. As of there was  
anything they could do.  
  
{Do not attempt to defy me,} stated Mewtwo. He picked up Ash and  
threw him backwards into Brock. These humans were too troublesome. It  
was going to be great to finally be rid of them. {This is my world  
now.}  
  
He once again held his arms out and a mass of dark poke-balls  
appeared. He sent them forward. There was no way that any pokemon on  
the island could escape. He was in control.  
  
It was almost comical to watch the humans and pokemon try to escape.  
But, the air was filled with dark poke-balls. Some tried to fight,  
others tried to run. But the results were always them same. One by  
one they fell. The trainers cried out as they lost each pokemon.  
But, Mewtwo knew better. It was all an act. Humans don't care about  
what happens to pokemon.  
  
{It is futile to try and escape my power,} said Mewtwo as the  
remaining few were caught. Mewtwo made sure his machines were working.  
They were. The imprisoned pokemon were being cloned. Perfect. Now  
all that was left was to deal with the humans. It was the hour of his  
revenge.  
  
{Humans, you have served your purpose. I am sparing your lives, for  
the moment,} he said. They had huddled together in a corner. It was  
hopeless and they knew it. Mewtwo opened the doors to give them a  
good idea about what was going to happen to them and the rest of the  
world. His storm was reaching its peak. His storm, which was made  
from his fury, hate, and vengeance.   
  
There was a loud explosion and the clones began to flood the battle  
field. It felt good to see the humans cringe from the creatures who  
were created from their pokemon's DNA. {Behold, with pokemon and  
humans eliminated, clones shall inherit the world.}  
  
"You can't do this," said Ash as he appeared in the smoke, followed by  
all of the original pokemon. "I won't let you."  
  
This wasn't part of the plan. Those pokemon weren't supposed to be  
here. So what if they were? Mewtwo would make them examples. {It is  
useless to challenge me.}  
  
"It's not going to end like this," said Ash. "We won't let you. Your  
mine!" He turned his hat back and charged Mewtwo. Obviously thinking  
was something he did little of.  
  
Mewtwo caught him in mid punch and sent him skidding back twenty feet.  
But Ash jumped back onto his feet and charged again. Mewtwo again  
stopped him with his psychic powers. It was time they learned their  
lesson. It was time they died. Mewtwo threw Ash high into the air.  
He was on a fatal collision course with a stone tower.  
  
"Ash, no!" cried Misty.  
  
"Look out!" yelled Brock.  
  
But then, something completely unexpected happened. A pink bubble  
formed under him, cushioning him from sure death.  
  
{What?} demanded Mewtwo.  
  
The creator of the pink bubble appeared. She popped it and giggled  
when Ash fell to the top of the tower. Then she formed a bubble under  
herself and began to bounce happily.  
  
{Can it be?} gasped Mewtwo. A new kind of hatred filled his heart.  
He formed a Shadow Ball in his paws and launched it at the giggling  
kitten. It popped her bubble and sent her flying backwards.  
  
"What is that?" asked Brock.  
  
"I don't know," replied Misty.  
  
{Mew, so we finally meet,} snarled Mewtwo. Hate laced his voice, and  
there was so much of it. How could he have been cloned from this  
pokemon, who was so.... happy. It was sickening.  
  
"Mew?" asked Mew.  
  
{I may have been cloned from your DNA, but now I will prove that  
Mewtwo is better than the original, superior to Mew,} said Mewtwo,  
venom dripping from his eyes.  
  
"Mew and Mewtwo," gasped Brock.  
  
"So Mewtwo was cloned from Mew," said Neesha. The rest were in a  
silent shock.  
  
{This world is too small for two of us,} said Mewtwo as he charge Mew,  
launching Shadow Balls along the way. She ran from his direct  
attempts to challenge her. They flew around the stadium. Making  
everyone below very nervous.  
  
{Why do you flee from me?} asked Mewtwo as he cornered Mew behind a  
pillar. {Are you afraid to find out which of us is greater?} For  
some reason, that answer suddenly became very important to him.  
  
Mew stopped running and just started to dodge his Shadow Balls. She  
easily Teleported from each one. Then, she started to laugh, like it  
was all some kind of game. But this distracted her. The next Shadow  
Ball caught her under her chin and sent her flying far out of sight.  
  
Mewtwo smiled with his eyes. It was a very disturbing smile. But,  
his victory was short-lived. The very same Shadow Ball he had hit Mew  
was suddenly sent back at him, faster and stronger than when he had  
made it.  
  
Mewtwo had no time to react. He was thrown a few yards into the solid  
stone of his stadium. Everyone gasped as Mew floated back. But  
Mewtwo jumped into the air, his fabled temper flaring. His eyes were  
glowing intensely. It was a sight to be afraid of. The last people  
who saw this never lived to tell the tale.  
  
{So, you do have some fight in you,} said Mewtwo as he took his place  
above his clones. Mew drifted to the other end of the field, to  
protect the originals. {But I have no time for games. Destiny is at  
hand. Who will rule? My superior pokemon, or your group of spineless  
inferiors?} He obviously thought that Mew had taken sides.  
  
"Mew. Mew mew mew mew. Mew mew," pleaded Mew. 'It doesn't prove  
anything, showing off a lot of special powers. A pokemon's real  
strength comes from the heart.'  
  
How dare they insult the clones? How dare they think they are equal  
with them? They will pay! They will all die, as soon as they are  
humiliated in battle. He formed a Barrier around himself in anticipation for  
the battle to come. {I will block all the pokemon's special abilities  
using my psychic powers. Now we shall see who is worthless.}  
  
With that a huge battle started. All of the pokemon charged forward.  
They all paired off, clone against original, and began to attack any  
physical way they could. They bit, hit, punched, scratched, and  
stomped. It seemed so senseless. They could all pass off as twins,  
and they were trying to kill each other. There was so much hate. No  
one could gain the upper hand. They were all equals. And through it  
all, only one refused to fight. They slowly began to get tired,  
falling where they were. Often they collapsed for exhaustion right on  
top of each other. Winning didn't seem so important, except to one.  
  
Mewtwo and Mew fought over the battlefield, each ramming the other  
with their Barriers. It was like watching and insane pinball game.  
They went back and forth, and it looked like there wouldn't be a  
winner in this battle, either.  
  
They descended to the battle arena with a huge double surge of psychic  
energy. The exhausted pokemon were pushed to the edges of the field.  
Mewtwo and Mew kept up their battle. He had to win, to prove his own  
self worth, to finish his plans, to have his revenge for all the pain  
he had suffered. She had to win, to save lives, to save the world.  
  
They began to use Psychic on each other. Blue and pink beams crossed  
the field, resulting in small explosions that pushed each fighter  
back, only to have them charge forward and attack again.  
  
Ash had finally managed to climb down from the tower at this point.  
He was tired, and his friends had to help him to his feet. Then, a  
reckless idea came over him. Something had to be done, this had to  
stop. The consequences did not matter.  
  
"You've got to stop right now!" he yelled as he charged forward, right  
into the middle of the battle. "Stop!"  
  
That was the last thing he yelled. Two Psychic hit him full on. He  
jerked in pain, then collapsed as the energy faded.  
  
"Ash!" cried Brock.  
  
"Oh, no!" gasped Misty.  
  
"Pika!"  
  
Ash fell to the ground and didn't move.  
  
{Fool, trying to stop our battle,} gasped Mewtwo, who was no less  
shocked than the rest. Why did he do it? He died, but why? To stop  
a battle?  
  
His Pikachu raced forward. It tried to restart his heart with a  
Thunderbolt, but it didn't work. It tried again and again, but its  
trainer did not move. There was nothing anyone could do. Pikachu  
began to cry.  
  
"Why is it crying?" wondered Mewtwo. "It should be happy to be free  
of its trainer. Why does the pokemon care about the human?" But,  
Pikachu wasn't the only pokemon crying.  
  
One by one, the other pokemon, clones and not, struggled to their  
feet. Tears were coming from all of them. Even the humans were  
crying.  
  
Why did they care? Humans don't care about pokemon. But, this one  
did. He died, to end a battle that would have killed them all. Why  
do pokemon care about humans? Because, this one was innocent. He had  
done nothing to earn their hatred.  
  
Mewtwo looked around the stadium. They looked so much alike. They  
had the same heart. They knew what he had never realized until this  
moment. There is some good in people. These humans truly treated  
their pokemon with respect and friendship. There was evil in the  
world, but that evil was not worth destroying the good with it.  
  
A strange glow had covered the arena, coming from the tears of the  
pokemon. It circled around Ash, restoring what was lost. He raised  
his head and embraced his pokemon. It took both clones and originals  
to do it, because they were all pokemon.  
  
Mewtwo hovered a few feet higher and began to talk to Mew. {The human  
sacrificed himself, to save the pokemon. I pitted them against each  
other. But not until they set aside their differences did I see the  
true power they all shared, deep inside.}  
  
"Mew?" asked Mew, surprised.  
  
{I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It  
is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are,} he  
said. Something around his heart had melted. Massive genocide did  
not seem so attractive any more. It may be too late for him to ever  
live in peace with humans, but he would not ruin that peace for  
others. A new idea was beginning to form in his mind.  
  
He went higher still, and began to pick up the clones, so that they  
were all flying with him. Some gasped in surprise, others smiled,  
others waved as they left.  
  
"Mewtwo, were are you going?" asked Ash.  
  
{Where my heart can learn what yours knows so well. What transpired  
here I will always remember. But perhaps for you these events are  
best forgotten,} he answered as he flew off with Mew by his side, the  
storm melting as they went by. A blinding flash of light covered the  
arena, wiping the memories of the night from their mind, vaporizing  
the fortress, and Teleporting them back to the poke-center.  
  
***********************************************************************  
*********  
  
Johto League.....  
  
"I want to make sure that that pokemon is in top shape," said Giovanni  
as he gave the final orders to the scientists before he left. "At the  
end of the week I want a full report. Then I am transferring it to my  
gym, to test its battle skills."  
  
"You can't do that!" protested one of the scientists.  
  
"You made Celebitwo for me, and I will do as I see fit," snapped  
Giovanni. He did not like anyone defying him. He began to walk away.  
"Oh, and I am leaving two of my top scientists here. They will be  
overseeing everything and reporting it to me."  
  
"You mean, taking over," said Prof. Hickory. Giovanni just glared at  
him before turning and leaving for his helicopter.  
  
"I don't like this," said Dr. Maple in a low voice. "What is Celitwo  
going to think?"  
  
"What is going to happen to our project?" asked Prof. Hickory. "We  
just can't let our sponsor take it from us."  
  
"Do we have a choice?" asked another. They were all walking to the  
lab. The two new scientists were demanding notes and updates.  
  
"Why don't you help fill them in?" suggested Dr. Maple to the other  
five scientists. "Prof. Hickory and I will get Celitwo ready."  
  
"The project's name is Celebitwo," said one of the new scientists in a  
cocky voice. Dr. Maple simply nodded and raced ahead to Celitwo. She  
ran in and closed the door behind her, nearly smashing Prof. Hickory  
in it.  
  
{What is all the noise?} asked Celitwo, looking up.  
  
"We are going to have some help," said Dr. Maple. "Two other  
scientists are going to be joining us."  
  
{Did that evil man leave?} she asked. Prof. Hickory eyed Dr. Maple at  
this.  
  
"Yes," answered Dr. Maple. "Are you ready?" Celitwo sighed. But  
before she could answer, someone else walked into the room.  
  
"They sent me here to make sure everything goes smoothly," snapped one  
of the new scientists.  
  
"Things are fine, we are coming," replied Prof. Hickory. The new one  
tapped her foot, impatiently.  
  
"Come on, Celitwo," motioned Dr. Maple. Celitwo nodded nervously and  
walked out of her 'room.' The new scientist's eyes went wide when she  
saw Celitwo push open the door.  
  
"It's not locked?!" she gasped.  
  
"There's not need for that," replied Dr. Maple.  
  
"Uh-huh," was the reply, which was followed by some furious scribbling  
on a clipboard.  
  
The four walked down the hall to the examination room that had been  
prepared. Everything had been readied by the other scientists.  
Celitwo walked over to the table and sat down, like she always did.  
Dr. Maple and Prof. Hickory got their gloves on. The two new  
scientists were talking among themselves. One grabbed a syringe off  
of a nearby supply table.  
  
"What are we checking for today?" asked one of the original seven.  
  
"Bone structure and strength," replied another.  
  
"No," said one of the new ones. "You have new orders now."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Dr. Maple. "We have precise  
planning to finish our testing. You are just here to watch."  
Celitwo's wings fluttered nervously at the sudden outburst.  
  
But she was ignored. The other new scientist took the syringe he had  
been holding and jammed it into Celitwo's arm. She jerked in  
surprise. A flash of green burned in her eyes before she slumped  
over. If it wasn't for Dr. Maple's fast reaction, the pokemon would  
have ended up on the floor.  
  
"What did you do?!" she demanded. Her coworkers backed up. They knew  
better than to mess with her when she was mad.  
  
"We sedated it," he replied, calmly. "We can't have it causing any  
trouble while we run our tests."  
  
"She would never cause any trouble!" yelled Dr. Maple. She gentle set  
Celitwo face down on the table.  
  
"I think you are getting a little too attached to the specimen," he  
replied, still perfectly calm. "I am going to have to contact my boss  
and suggest that you take a vacation." Dr. Maple was so petrified  
with rage that she couldn't speak.  
  
"Now see here," said Prof. Hickory. "You should listen to us. We are  
the ones who have the most experience on this project. I think you  
are out of line."  
  
"We are loosing valuable time," said the other new one. "We have  
tests to perform."  
  
"I'll get the instruments," volunteered one, who just wanted to get  
out of the tense room.  
  
"We've already set up," she replied. "Giovanni ordered us to test the  
clone's muscle development and physical healing rate."  
  
"Healing rate?!" gasped Prof. Hickory.  
  
"You can't mean hurting her to see how fast she recovers from her  
injuries?!" cried Dr. Maple.  
  
"Those are the orders," said one.  
  
"Giovanni wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong like the last  
time," added the other. "He put us in charge here so you don't make  
the same mistakes the New Island group did."  
  
"This is our project!" protested one of the original seven.  
  
"This arguing is really getting tiring," said a new one. "We are  
beginning. Whether you like it or not."  
  
"Oh, and Dr. Maple, you are taking the day off. If you argue, don't  
bother to came back the next day," said the other.  
  
Dr. Maple's face turned bright red. A hard, thin line formed around  
her lips. She spun on her heel and walked out, dropping her lab coat  
behind her. Her hands were shaking, she was so mad.  
  
The next day.....  
  
Dr. Maple was determined to get there early this morning, to find out  
what she had missed the previous day. She had had time to cool off  
and think. She now realized that she shouldn't have left Celitwo  
alone. She also knew that something needed to be done, to preserve  
the integrity of what they were working for. She had no idea what,  
though.  
  
She pulled into her usual parking space and sped-walked into the  
building. She was the first to arrive, which was what she had hoped  
for. She quickly threw on her lab coat and hurried to Celitwo's  
'room.'  
  
Her first surprise was that when she put her hand on the knob, it  
wouldn't budge. Celitwo had been locked in. The second thing she  
noticed was that Celitwo was laying down, with her back to the  
scientist. This was extremely unusual, because she had always been  
curious about her visitors. Third, she was shaking. It took Dr. Maple  
a moment to realize why. Celitwo was afraid. Then, Dr. Maple noticed  
the long gash across her left shoulder, by her wing. They had hurt  
her after all.  
  
Dr. Maple gasped and backed up. A thought about her work popped into  
her mind. It was a thought about her work that she had never imagined  
was possible. "This is wrong."  
  
***********************************************************************  
*********  
  
Hoenn League.....  
  
AN/ Again I am using a poem here. It relates somewhat to the story  
line, but not as well as the previous poem.  
  
"Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening"  
  
Robert Frost  
  
Whose woods these are I think I know,  
  
His house is in the village though.  
  
He will not see me stopping here,  
  
To watch his woods fill up with snow.  
  
My little horse must think it queer,  
  
To stop without a farmhouse near,  
  
Between the woods and frozen lake,  
  
The darkest evening of the year.  
  
He gives his harness bells a shake,  
  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
  
The only other sound's the sweep,  
  
Of easy wind and downy flake.  
  
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
  
But I have promises to keep,  
  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
  
And miles to go before I sleep. 


	5. New Home

Johto League......  
  
{This place.... is beautiful,} said Mewtwo as he looked out over his new home. Strange winds had brought him here. It was an isolated area, far from anything remotely resembling the Kanto League.  
  
It was a mountain top, made beautiful by plants and water. The weather was anything but favorable, and the altitude was staggering. It was also very far from any town. No one ever came here, save a few wild bug types. Here, the clones would be able to live alone, without the hateful eyes of the world on them.  
  
Mewtwo looked over it. His heart had been opened, but that did not make the pain go away. {But what right do I have to judge? What do I know of this world and its beauty? I am not of this world.}  
  
He turned his thoughts to address all of the clones. They were still new to the world, and they needed to know his plans.   
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League......  
  
Dr. Maple sat in her car, slowly thinking everything through. She knew she was breaking every rule by attempting this. But something had to be done! The testing on Celitwo did not get any lighter with the new scientists. In fact, it had gotten much worse. Celitwo wasn'dt speaking to anyone any more. Dr. Maple had a suspicion that she wasn't sleeping. Dark rings had formed under the clone's eyes, giving her a haunted look.  
  
Dr. Maple leaned back in her seat, making sure she had everything. She double checked to make sure the key to Celitwo's cage was in her pocket. They had refused to give her one, but she had bullied Prof. Hickory into giving her one, anyways. She slipped a pair of black gloves on and stepped out of the car.  
  
It was the middle of the night. Dr. Maple wasn't wearing her usual lab coat, but a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck. She slipped up to the door quietly and opened it with her own key. She slipped inside like a shadow.  
  
Dr. Maple paused when she was inside, looking around for the slightest movement. There was none, the place was deserted. Then, she glanced up at the wall. The red light on each security camera that marked that it was working was out. Her sabotage from earlier that day was still working, good. She keep walking, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She slipped into the room where they held Celitwo.  
  
Celitwo was still in her cage. Her eyes stared blankly into space. She was throbbing in a few place. But what hurt the worst was the fact that the people who had been so nice to her were now behind her pain. She didn't even see Dr. Maple enter.  
  
Dr. Maple tapped on the glass, waking her up. Celitwo turned and looked at her.  
  
"Get up," said Dr. Maple in a hushed voice. "I am getting you out of here."  
  
{What?} asked Celitwo as she struggled to her feet. Dr. Maple unlocked the door and helped Celitwo out.  
  
{Where am I going?} asked Celitwo, nervously. {What are you going to do this time?}  
  
"I am not going to hurt you," said Dr. Maple. "You are leaving this place. You are never go to have to go through this junk again."  
  
{Why are you doing this?} asked Celitwo as they walked for the door.  
  
"Because this is wrong," answered Dr. Maple. They left and entered the hallway, nearly colliding with Prof. Hickory.  
  
"Prof. Hickory!" gasped Dr. Maple. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for you," he answered, rubbing the sore spot where the door had hit him.  
  
"Stand aside," said Dr. Maple. "We are leaving."  
  
"Do you think I don't know what you are planning?" he asked. Celitwo slid behind Dr. Maple, nervously.  
  
"You can't stop me," she said.  
  
"I knew what you were going to do when you pulled the plug on the security system. Yes, I saw you," he said. "If I wanted to stop you, I would have done it then."  
  
"Then what are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Making sure you don't get caught," he said. "You left your car parked for everyone to see. Gosh, did you think any of this through?" She didn't reply. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"What we are doing to her is wrong," said Dr. Maple with absolute conviction. "I will make sure she doesn't have to live through any more of this. Now stand aside and don't try to stop us."  
  
"Quit being so hard headed," he snapped. "If I wanted to stop you, I would have done it long ago."  
  
"So, you agree with me?" she asked.  
  
"I can't say I agree with your methods," he answered, looking over her clothing. "But I do agree that this whole project has gone terribly wrong."  
  
"We are leaving," said Dr. Maple. She motioned for Celitwo to follow her.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Prof. Hickory.  
  
"You're better off not knowing," said Dr. Maple. She quickly raced out of the door, Celitwo on her heels.  
  
{Now what?} asked Celitwo.  
  
"You're on your own," said Dr. Maple. They stepped outside.  
  
Celitwo gasped. She had never seen the sky before. It was beautiful, twinkling with a hundred stars. A forest highlighted the distance. Far away the lights of Blackthorn city lit up the night.  
  
"Go," urged Dr. Maple, gently.  
  
{Go.....where?} asked Celitwo.  
  
"Anywhere but here," said Dr. Maple. "But be careful, OK? It is going to be dangerous. And do me a favor. Stay away from all humans. There are many nice ones, but I don't want any of the bad ones to find you again, got it?" Celitwo slowly nodded.  
  
{But, what.....where....?} she stammered, truly lost.  
  
"You'll have to find things out for yourself. I am sorry, but it has to be this way," said Dr. Maple. She gave Celitwo a gentle nudge and the clone started off. She head straight for the forest, probably because of the Celebi DNA in her.  
  
"Good luck......" muttered Dr. Maple as she disappeared.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League........  
  
"Hurry up!" snapped one guy. He was wearing blue and the insignia for Team Aqua. "We have to clear this stuff out before Team Magma gets here." The rift had finally drove them in two. The various groups were looting the old bases that they used to share together, trying to get as much equipment as possible.  
  
"Should we bother with these monitors?" asked the girl. She wore an outfit very similar to his. "They looked fried to me. I can't believe they ever even used these. They'd give you a wrong reading every time."  
  
"Then dump them," snapped the guy. "We have to hurry. The boss wants us back. And I certainly don't want to run into Team Magma."  
  
"Right," said the girl. She grabbed an arm load of electronics, dumping the monitor in the corner. "But what should we do with all the stuff we can't carry?"  
  
"Let's burn the place," said the guy. "We don't want Team Magma to get anything."  
  
"Right, although they'd probably like the fire," she commented.  
  
Outside they ran to their jeep, threw their loot in the back, revved it up, and drove away. A thin column of smoke was already rising from the building they had left. 


	6. New Life

One year later.......  
  
Johto League......  
  
Mewtwo had done a lot of thinking during the past year. It had been  
lonely, the clones were his only company, besides his restless  
thoughts. Mew had ran off. She would not be pinned down to living in  
one place. She was a wanderer.  
  
He was glad to be done with the fighting. After he had almost killed  
that boy in battle, he had lost the will to fight. All he wanted to  
do was live in peace in this beautiful place. He had friends, and he  
had a home, that was all he had ever hoped for.  
  
At the time he was watching the surrounding area for any signs that  
they might be discovered. Mt. Cana was remote and seldom visited.  
But still, a few travelers passed that way. He was watching the bus  
that transported them, looking for any threat to their existence.  
  
As he was watching a vicious wind picked up. Mt. Cana was famous for  
its awful weather, so the gale came as no surprise. What was  
surprising was that it swept under the bus, picking it off of the  
ground! The entire vehicle full of humans was swirling dangerously on  
the edge of the mountain.  
  
Mewtwo didn't hesitate. He summoned his powers, paused the bus in mid-  
air, then set in on the road again. The people were dazed, but they  
drove off.  
  
"Pika, pika-pika?" asked the Pikachu clone.  
  
{You ask why did I save those humans,} repeated Mewtwo. It was an  
answer he wasn't sure of himself.  
  
"Pika," confirmed Pikachu.  
  
{For our own protection. An accident might bring human rescuers. We  
might be discovered and our peace disrupted,} he answered. It was a  
good excuse.  
  
"Merr, merroew," countered the Meowth clone.  
  
{You believe that there is another reason; that I felt concerned, that  
I felt compassion about the safety of those humans?} asked Mewtwo,  
almost sarcastically.  
  
"Merrem," said Meowth.  
  
{I assure you that is not the case. I could never feel compassion for  
humans,} answered Mewtwo, remembering all too well the pain he had  
gone through. He knew this was true.  
  
That night he went start gazing with those two pokemon. Watching the  
sky was one of the things Mewtwo did to think. He had so many  
questions and it seemed like there would never be any answers. His  
entire existence was a lonely mystery.  
  
It was a beautiful night. There was not a cloud in the sky. The moon  
shone brightly and the stars twinkled. Mewtwo could feel the  
atmospheric changes that meant a storm was coming, but now it was  
beautiful. A swarm of Butterfree flew freely, dropping Sleep Powder  
as they went.  
  
{For these pokemon life is as it should be,} said Mewtwo  
melancholically. {They were born into this world. It is their home.  
They belong here.} He turned his thoughts to the clones beside him.  
He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince them, or simply expression  
his own confusion. {We are not born as they were. We are not of this  
world. We do not belong in it. But where do we belong?}  
  
"Pika, pika-ka-pi," argued Pikachu.  
  
{Do we truly deserve to live here as much as the other pokemon do?}  
  
"Pika," said Pikachu with a nod.  
  
{We are unlike the others.}  
  
"Mer-remm, Merrmmm," said Meowth. He looked up to the full moon.  
  
{Yes, I am sure the moon is round and bright to those Butterfree, just  
like it is to us or any other pokemon who sees it.}  
  
"Merrorrr," purred Meowth.  
  
{If we can see the moon as they do, why can we not see the earth as  
they do?} asked Mewtwo, mostly to himself. {Yes, why?}  
  
He suddenly got a shiver down his neck. It felt almost like someone  
was watching him. But he could sense no unfamiliar presenses. None  
the less, he had a sinking feeling that something big was coming. He  
sent word to the clones and urged them to take shelter. The winds  
were picking up. He knew the next storm was going to be big.  
  
Mewtwo watched the storm come and go. There was too much on his mind  
to let him sleep. Even if he could sleep, his sixth sense was warning  
him that danger was coming. Mewtwo watched the skies from the shelter  
of the cave on his island.  
  
{The storm is over, for now,} he said to himself. Storms were common  
place on Mt. Cana. This one was over. So why did it feel like it had  
only just begun?  
  
Mewtwo focused on the starry sky again. A floating object drifted  
into view. It took Mewtwo some time to figure out what it was. It  
was a hot air balloon shaped like the head of a Meowth. Several  
people dangled off of a rope that was clipped onto the side of the  
balloon. Mewtwo instantly recognized some of them. They were some of  
the trainers from New Island!  
  
{Those children again!} he exclaimed. Where they looking for him?  
What brought them here? {Can this be an accident? Or is it  
something.....more?}  
  
He retreated deeper into his home to the screen he had. He summoned  
his powers and formed and image of the trainers on the screen. He  
watched them intently. Quickly he learned that the three; Ash, Brock,  
and Misty, had followed to pathetic members of Team Rocket, Jessie and  
James, because they had swiped Ash's Pikachu, the one from which his  
friend was cloned.  
  
But that part didn't hold his interest for long. What worried him was  
the other three passengers, one blonde in particular. She revealed  
herself to be a top agent of Team Rocket. As he watched Team Rocket's  
helicopters were gathering on the edge of the mountain, all coming for  
him. He watched the evil gang closely, a long forgotten fire burning  
in him.  
  
But he thoughts were distracted by a loud crash outside. Mewtwo  
hurried over. He saw that the Meowth head balloon had crashed into  
the side of his sanctuary. Jessie, James, and their Meowth were  
there. But they were focusing on an intense conversation between  
Ash's Pikachu and the clone Pikachu. The clone was charging up for an  
attack. Mewtwo remembered the pain caused by the last time they had  
fought. He was determined not to let that happen again.  
  
{No! Fighting is senseless,} he told the Pikachu clone. The pokemon  
glared at him before charging to attack its original.  
  
Mewtwo held out his paw and stopped his Pikachu in mid air. He gently  
placed his friend on the ground. The electric rat was mad, almost to  
the point of sulking. Its original came over to console it, but the  
clone was too bitter.  
  
{There is nothing to be gained by such battling,} stated Mewtwo.  
Several other clones had wandered over to see what the commotion was  
about. {You are the same as the other pokemon, neither stronger nor  
weaker. We learned that the last time we met and battled the pokemon  
from which we were copied.}  
  
Jessie and James made some kind of comment. Mewtwo turned his  
attention to them. He glared at them and they clung to each other.  
Why of all the people in this world did these two idiots end up here?  
He wondered this, but out of the corner of his eyes he never stopped  
watching the main force of the Team Rocket fleet.  
  
"Oh, don't mind us," stammered Jessie, trying to come up with an  
excuse to get out of there. Even though they had forgotten who he was  
and what he was capable of, they were still intimidated. "We are just  
looking for a balloon repair shop."  
  
{I search for a place to live in secret and in peace. Now these humans  
have found us again,} said Mewtwo, half angry, half depressed.  
{Perhaps we shall never find peace.}  
  
"I know you're psychic, but have we met before?" asked James. Mewtwo  
didn't reply. But he knew deep inside that while he acted like a  
dipstick, he was probably smarter than the lot he was mixed up in.  
  
"Pika! Pika-pika-pika! Ka-kha-pi, kapika," argued the Pikachu clone.  
'We have to stand our ground. We can't give up now. If we don't  
fight, we'll lose our home. We can't let these humans push us around.  
We have to battle!' That was easy to say. He didn't know how  
dangerous Team Rocket was.  
  
The other clones who had gathered began to voice their opinions. Some  
wanted to fight, others wanted to flee. Mewtwo didn't address any of  
their remarks.  
  
"Pika! Pika! Ka-kah-pi!" argued the Pikachu clone. He was getting  
pumped up. He was playing on the emotions of the more aggressive  
clones. 'There has to be more than a battle! This has to be war! We  
won't let them treat us this way because we are clones!'  
  
But then his original walked over. "Pika-kah-ka," he argued. 'There  
is no reason for us to fight each other.'  
  
Mewtwo listened to them sadly. They did not understand the dangers of  
Team Rocket like he did. But his own opinions were muddled. He knew  
the best thing for them to do would be to get out of there. But he  
did not want to let Giovanni force him into exile. He did not want to  
be treated differently because of his origins. But there was no  
escaping that.  
  
He once again turned his attention to the sky. {The moon reflects the  
light of the sun. Pokemon born into this world may walk freely in  
that sun. But we were created, reflections. We are shadows. Perhaps  
we should not live in sunlight, but in the shadows of moonlight.}  
  
"Pika-kahkah-pika! Pika-pika!" argued his friend. 'That's not fair!  
We shouldn't have to live like shadows. Sure this mountain is  
beautiful, but beyond it is a big, wide world, a bright world.'  
Pikachu really desired to live free from the curse of the clone, that  
was plain by the expression on his face.  
  
The clone turned his attention to his original. His tone was nothing  
short of bitter. "Pika-pika-pika! Ka-pika!" he accused. 'You know  
that world, don't you? You were born into it, so you can live in it  
anywhere and anyway you want. But because we were created, we are  
exiled. No matter where we go we will always be outcasts.'  
  
{Enough!} Mewtwo said. He had bigger things to worry about, and the  
self pity was not helping any. {We are what we are.} He made his  
decision about what to do about the invaders. {We will remain here  
and live in peace..... if we can.} He shot a glance back towards the  
Team Rocket Combat Force.  
  
He left, to continue to watch the movements of his enemy. He left the  
humans in the hands of his clones. He cared little about what  
happened to them. Mewtwo scrutinized every detail of the force that  
was hunting him. The odds were not good.  
  
{If the humans will not leave us in peace, so be it,} he admitted his  
true plans to himself. {We will leave this place and fins another. We  
will continue to search until we find a place to live, and to belong.}  
  
It was dawn when he finally pulled himself away from the screen. The  
Scyther clone had come to warn him that the dissenters had split.  
Mewtwo raced out to the ledge of the island. We watched as his  
friends left to fight Team Rocket. They did not know the dangers,  
their force was too small. They did not stand a chance. But their  
pride and anger prevented them from seeing that.  
  
Mewtwo watched them leave with a heavy heart. Again he was faced with  
a tough decision. {Should I let them go?} he asked the remaining  
clones who had gathered around him. {All creatures ought to control  
their own destinies. Or should I force them to stay? Here I can use  
my powers to protect them from harm. But do I have the right to keep  
them from living as they choose? What is more important, their safety  
or their freedom?}  
  
There was no satisfactory answer. Mewtwo watched from his perch as  
long as he could stand it. But as their friend he could not let them  
get hurt. At last it became too much for him and he darted off to  
find out what had happened. He head straight for the main force of  
Team Rocket.  
  
What he saw when he reached the edge of the mountain was worse than he  
could have ever possibly imagined. His friends had been caught in  
poke-balls that had been made especially be Team Rocket. Only four  
remained free; the Meowth and Pikachu set. They were cornered against  
a cliff. The main helicopter had them in its sights, ready to attack  
and imprison them.  
  
Mewtwo countered instantly. He threw a Shadow Ball which intercepted  
the electrical attack by Team Rocket. He saved his friends by  
neutralizing the enemy's attack. He hovered several tens of feet off  
of the ground; appearing deadly to the enemy's arsenal.  
  
He threw another Shadow Ball at the helicopter, which forced them to  
dodge. It was only a distraction. With them out of the way he  
decimated the capture balls which held his friends prisoners. They  
looked around, happy to be free but guilty about their choice. But  
Mewtwo had more important things to worry about. The main helicopter  
hovered in front of him. The top opened.  
  
{You!} snarled Mewtwo when he saw his former partner appear on a  
special platform on top of the helicopter. So the coward actually had  
the nerve to see his face.  
  
"It's been quite a while," said Giovanni causally. But there was no  
denying the venom in his voice. "You look well."  
  
"Leave this place at once,} ordered Mewtwo. His voice was laced with  
pure hate. {I warn you my strength is far greater than when we first  
met.} He should have killed the human the first time.  
  
"Your increased strength comes as no surprise," replied Giovanni,  
coolly. "Fortunately, my technicians have predicted it and have  
developed new technology to deal with it."  
  
Two strange spherical machines were sent out of the helicopter. The  
circled around Mewtwo. He recognized them as enemies, but was not  
afraid. Suddenly they each sent out a surge of electricity. Mewtwo  
was unprepared. The attack broke his concentration and sent him  
tumbling to the ground. The clones gasped when they saw him fall.  
This wasn't supposed to be possible.  
  
"Well, it seems my new equipment is worth the considerable  
investment," said Giovanni, amused. All he needed was a little more  
time.  
  
Mewtwo stood up again, seeming in no pain at all. {You should fear my  
powers most of all. You cannot conquer me.} His eyes burned as he  
pondered the fate he was planning for them.  
  
"Your psychic powers bend the wills of living creatures but they  
cannot influence machines," shot Giovanni. He sent his machines down  
again. It was a strategy to buy more time until his real plan was  
ready.  
  
{We shall see about that,} said Mewtwo, his powers and emotions  
burning.  
  
Giovanni ordered his machines to attack him. Mewtwo summoned his  
powers and began to fight the electrical currents around him. The  
very rocks beneath him warped as he fought. But in a few seconds he  
overcame the machines and sent them into the rocks.  
  
"Well done, Mewtwo," complimented Giovanni with false sincerity.  
"You've demonstrated that technology has its limits. An important  
lesson to keep in mind. But living things have their limits too."  
  
{Do not test the limits of my power,} warned Mewtwo, who was ready to  
use those powers to eliminate the rocket threat. All Giovanni ever  
saw him as was another machine. He was threatening their very way of  
life.  
  
"It appears that would be futile," replied Giovanni. The distraction  
had worked. Now it was time to bring the downfall of the strongest  
pokemon ever. "So we are taking our battle to that island."  
  
Mewtwo turned around and gasped. He realized his one mistake. He had  
left his home unguarded. Now it was crawling with the second half of  
the rocket force, doing who knows what to his others friends. He  
cursed himself for being distracted. Things just got a whole lot more  
complicated.  
  
"So I understand that some pokemon friends of yours are on that  
island," said Giovanni as he baited his trap. "Now we shall see how  
powerful your loyalties are."  
  
{You are despicable,} replied Mewtwo, maliciously. Not only that but  
he was a coward, hiding behind the innocent and refusing to confront  
him.  
  
"Mewtwo are you going to let your little friends battle me alone?"  
asked Giovanni, haughtily.  
  
{I cannot, I must help them,} Mewtwo admitted to himself, even though  
he secretly admitted it may be too late.  
  
The clones began to bellow, saying the same thing. There was no way  
Mewtwo was going to leave them here at his enemy's mercy. He gathered  
his strength and elevated them. They had no idea what was truly going  
on. He spoke to them, trying to boost their spirits.  
  
{We must live where and how we choose! Friends, to the island!} he  
took off, bringing them with him. He raced as fast as he could,  
fearing the worst.  
  
He landed and his fears were concerned. He could sense the other  
clones, all of which were imprisoned. A rocket elite was waiting for  
him, holding one of the baby Nidoqueens to her chest. Mewtwo had  
always been especially proud of the children, for sentimental reasons.  
It didn't matter that they had been born fully evolved because of  
their parents DNA. The children were completely innocent. He knew he  
could not hurt the rocket agent without hurting the child as well. She  
was a coward, just like her boss, hiding behind innocent lives.  
  
"I've been expecting you," she replied, as cold-hearted as Giovanni.  
"This little Nidoqueen sure is a cutely." The child was scared to  
death, being held by a stranger.  
  
{Put that young one down,} ordered Mewtwo, the gravity of the  
situation dawning on him. They were going to threaten his friends to  
get him.  
  
A breeze stirred behind him and he knew the complete Team Rocket  
Combat Force had arrived.  
  
"Maybe that is something you should take up with my boss," replied the  
blonde. "Here he is now."  
  
"Nice to see you," said Giovanni as he took his place on the platform  
again. Now was the time to spring his trap. "I take it you are ready  
to obey my commands?"  
  
{No,} snapped Mewtwo, the very idea making him sick. {I would rather  
die than serve you.}  
  
"I suggest you reconsider your opinion," said Giovanni, his true  
nature showing; evil nature. "If you choose to defy me your fellow  
creations will all be used in our experiments and will most certainly  
die."  
  
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. This was worse than he could have ever  
possibly imagined. He could not let his friends die at the hands of  
Team Rocket. But he could not give in to them either. If he gave in  
then there was no one to protect his friends. The phrase lose-lose  
situation circled in his mind. The one thing he knew was that he  
would not be responsible for the deaths of his friends.  
  
While he was debating this Giovanni sent his two orbs down. They  
started to make a force field, a blue sphere that crackled with dark  
thunder, a prison.  
  
Mewtwo knew what his choice had to be, and he hated it. {Stand away,}  
he said privately to the remaining free clones. {I must submit to  
them.} The clones looked at him in disbelief. He could hardly  
believe this was happening. They complied, unhappily, and formed a  
path between him and the machines.  
  
"They were not meant to destroy you, but simple to harness your  
abilities and mold your will to my purpose," said Giovanni when he  
noticed no response from Mewtwo. He didn't hear the clone's comment  
to his friends.  
  
{Your purposes,} snarled Mewtwo, disdainfully. He hated them so much.  
  
"Don't waste your time destroying them," said Domino, the rocket  
elite. "We are quite capable of building new ones. But if you try to  
fight us your little friends will be the ones to pay the price." She  
turned on her tulip and shot a wave of energy at the nearest clone,  
Pikachu.  
  
Pikachu took the blast full on. He was sent tumble backwards. Mewtwo  
was forced to watch. Any action on his part would have resulted in  
worse consequences. Then, Pikachu's original went forward, trying to  
help his clone. They both were unprepared for the second blast, which  
sent them painfully into a rock.  
  
Mewtwo did the only thing he could do to save his friends. {I will do  
as you say.}  
  
Giovanni smiled. He had almost won. "All you have to do now is step  
into the light."  
  
Mewtwo held his head high and muster as much dignity and courage as he  
could and started to walk forward. His friends begged him to stop.  
They were willing to suffer the consequences for him not to go through  
this. But he was unwilling to let them make that sacrifice. He  
ignored them and continued on. This was the only way, he was trapped.  
  
He walked into the sphere, feeling the tingle of energy as he passed  
through. He stopped in the middle. It would be easy enough to walk  
out, but he would not be a liar like Giovanni. But Giovanni foresaw  
this possible means of escape. He elevated Mewtwo twenty feet off of  
the ground. While walking out would have gotten him out, now it was  
impossible.  
  
Giovanni merely chuckled. "Good boy," he said, condescendingly. "Now  
you won't be able to get away from me again."  
  
{You may control my body, but you will never control my will,} stated  
Mewtwo. He may be a prisoner, but he would never take orders from a  
human. He was far from caught.  
  
"We'll soon see," said Giovanni as he hit a button on his control  
power.  
  
Mewtwo was not at all prepared for what happened next. A painful wave  
of dark energy washed over him. It took all of his control not to  
scream. His body was paralyzed in the position he had been in when  
the energy field had turned on him. Mewtwo only had some minor  
movement in his neck. He struggled to break free, but dark energy,  
his greatest weakness, was everywhere.  
  
{I will not submit!} yelled Mewtwo as the onslaught continued. He  
never knew it was possible to be hurt so much.  
  
"You are strong Mewtwo, but pain makes the body master of the will.  
Let's see how long you struggle," said Giovanni, who seemed to be  
enjoying the pain the pokemon was in. Mewtwo continued to writhe, the  
horrible reality dawned on him. They were going to torture him until  
he agreed to obey them without question. Down below Team Rocket was  
imprisoning the remaining free clones.  
  
"This is a very charming place," said Giovanni, adding insult to  
injury. But it was doubtful Mewtwo heard anything over the pain he  
was in. "I had a feeling you would find a pretty little hide-away like  
this. It is perfect for my new laboratory. Finally we will create a  
vast army of the world's most powerful pokemon. And you, you will be  
at its head, carrying out my commands. Together we will rule the  
earth!"  
  
Mewtwo slumped forward, tired of straining himself to pull free. His  
chin fell to his chest. There was nothing but pain left for him. How  
long could he last? It was all too much. If he even tried to free  
himself his friends would die. It wasn't fair.  
  
Once he considered using Recover to keep his health strong. But then  
he realized that that would only cause him to be in the sphere longer.  
There was only one way out of this without completely losing his  
freedom. He had to be weak. Team Rocket wanted him alive. They  
would take his life if they continued to treat him like this. The  
only way they'd stop torturing him is if he was almost dead.  
  
Mewtwo pulled his defenses closer and went into almost a trace,  
blocking out any thoughts of surrender. Around him rocket agents  
worked on turning his home into a laboratory. But they took no more  
notice of him then he did of them.  
  
Even when the local bug type pokemon showed up he didn't raise his  
head. The insects were furious with the damage Team Rocket was doing  
to their home. They came to fight the evil humans. But none were  
able to free him. It was a desperate situation.  
  
"What is more important, their safety or their freedom?" Mewtwo  
remembered saying those words earlier that day. Now it applied to  
him. What was more important; his freedom or his life?  
  
About four hours into the torture, nearing the beginning of dusk, a  
voice roused Mewtwo out of his trace. His fellow clone, Pikachu, was  
calling him.  
  
Mewtwo turned his head as far as it could go and saw two of his  
friends behind him, concern written across their faces. Something  
must have happened to free them. But they were not alone.  
  
{I am glad you are safe,} replied Mewtwo, shakily and privately. {But  
I cannot bear this much longer.}  
  
"Mewtwo," said one boy, Ash, in awe.  
  
{How do you know my name?} asked Mewtwo, fearful that he had recovered  
his memory of the New Island incident. He turned farther to bring the  
human into view.  
  
"We heard it from Meowth," answered Ash. That was one less thing to  
worry about. "And Meowth told us that you're the one who saved my  
Pikachu. There's got to be something we can do for you now."  
  
{Stop these machines!} begged Mewtwo.  
  
He watched as they tried several fruitless efforts to free him. They  
managed to topple one of the machines, but it only refocused on him.  
The terrible truth of what he would have to do was beginning to dawn  
on him. There is no life without freedom.  
  
"We can't stop it," reported Brock.  
  
Mewtwo knew this before he said so. What was more important; his  
freedom or his life? He had made his decision. {Then I must use what  
remains of my power,} replied Mewtwo as he prepared himself for what  
he was about to do. {Either these machines will be destroyed, or I  
will be.}  
  
He began to pour his power into overheating the machines. The minute  
he tried the machines reacted by increasing the voltage.  
{AAAAGGGHHHHH!} screamed Mewtwo has his body was put through the next  
level of Hell. There was no pause for breath in his telepathic  
screams.  
  
"Hang in there!" encouraged Ash.  
  
"You can do it!" agreed Misty.  
  
"Pika! Pika!" agreed the two Pikachu. But he was left fighting alone.  
  
The dark energy was painful enough. But while he was fighting against  
it his own attacks were being reflected back at him. He focused on  
heating the machines, his eyes glowing blue. The world around him  
became nothing but pain. His vision was growing blurry and red dots  
were swimming in his eyes. He knew he had passed the point of  
survival.  
  
But then he felt some extra power. The Pikachu were pouring their  
electricity into the machines, helping him. Mewtwo summoned the  
remaining bits of his energy and forced one machine to overheat,  
exploding. The pain was the first thing to stop as the sphere  
disappeared. Only then did he stop screaming.  
  
Without the machines functioning the very platform beneath him  
dissipated. He fell, not having the strength the catch himself. He  
hit the ground and did not move, exhaustion claming him. Nearby the  
remaining machine self-destructed. But he was too tired to respond.  
  
His strength was gone. His breathing was hard, like one who had just  
finished a hard work out. He knew as soon as his heart rate slowed,  
he would die. Adrenaline was the main thing supporting him now.  
  
"Mewtwo!" he heard them call.  
  
"You did it, you beat them," said Ash. He sounded like he expected  
the clone to get up any moment.. They should know the truth.  
  
{Yes,} said Mewto, feebly. {But I have also destroyed.....myself.}  
His eyes were opened and unfocused. He couldn't even find the  
strength to move his head.  
  
"Pika! Pika-pika!" argued the Pikachu as they took his warped paws in  
theirs. They tired to pull him, while repeating 'the spring.'  
  
"The spring did revive the Pikachu," said Brock, thoughtfully. "Maybe  
it will do the same for Mewtwo.  
  
"The spring?" wondered Mewtwo. It was just the place they got their  
drinking water from. He knew it was pure, but he couldn't figure out  
what they meant, and he was too tired to try. His eyes slid shut.  
  
"We have to try," said Ash, but his voice sounded like it was coming  
from far away.  
  
Mewtwo's eyes fluttered a little as he felt their hands lift him up.  
His he was at full strength he would have thrown them off in an  
instant. He did not like the idea of humans touching him, but he  
didn't have the energy to resist.  
  
"You're not going anywhere!" Giovanni's voice cut through the scene.  
"Mewtwo belongs to me and I alone will decided whether it will survive  
or not." He had gathered his forces to oppose the three kids. Brock  
and Misty pulled away, releasing their pokemon to fight Team Rocket.  
Ash was left to hold Mewtwo up. It seemed so amazing that after all  
that had happened today, Giovanni still say him as an item to possess.  
  
"You take Mewtwo," whispered Brock to Ash.  
  
"OK," agreed Ash as he began to half escort, half carry the dying  
clone away.  
  
"No!" protested Giovanni. But he got no farther than that. The  
remaining insects and all the clones surrounded him and his gang,  
refusing to let them do any more evil.  
  
Mewtwo hardly noticed any of this. He was remotely coming back to his  
senses when Ash had Chikorita and Bulbasaur wrap their vines around  
his legs and help him walk. After all, he was a bit heavy for a boy  
to carry by himself.  
  
Reality and distortion drifted in and out of Mewtwo's mind. But there  
was one thing he had to know before he died. He knew he was going to  
die, but he was glad to be away from Team Rocket when that happened.  
  
{Why?} asked Mewtwo as he struggled to speak. {Why are you helping  
me?}  
  
"Well, first you did save my Pikachu, that's a good reason," answered  
Ash.  
  
{The only one?} asked Mewtwo. He needed to know, he needed to figure  
this out. How could it be that one human cared about him without  
expecting something in return?  
  
"Do you always need a reason to help somebody?" asked Ash, who tried  
to look him in the eye. But Mewtwo was beyond focusing like that.  
  
{Perhaps you are unique,} said Mewtwo, mostly to himself as he drifted  
into unconsciousness. {A unique human.....one of a kind.......}  
  
"You're one of a kind too, everybody is," replied Ash.  
  
Was he really something special? {I do not know what I am. And soon,  
it may not matter,} said Mewtwo as his last hold on reality vanished.  
It was only a matter of single-digit minutes before he died.  
  
He had a very rude awakening. He felt cold water surrounding him,  
snapping him awake. It took him a few minutes to place where he was.  
He had been thrown into the spring and was sinking to the bottom.  
Strangely familiar water plants brushed against his body.  
  
"I have been here before," realized Mewtwo as the fog around his brain  
began to lift. "Was it only in my dreams? But this is no dream. I  
can feel new life rising in me." Slowly his strength was returning,  
pulling him away from death. Mother nature herself had decided to  
spare himself, even though he wasn't a part of nature.  
  
A shadow drifted in front of his eyes. "Mew?" he wondered.  
  
"If these waters have the same restoring effect on me as they do on  
other pokemon, pokemon who belong in this world....could it mean that  
this world is my rightful place too?"  
  
A powerful blast shook the spring. Mewtwo knew that Giovanni had  
pursued him. But now he was able to fight. It was time to end this.  
Mewtwo charged out of the spring, blazing with all of the power he  
could muster.  
  
{You will not defile this place! It does not belong to you, and more  
than I do!} he let his powers spread to the entire spring, then to the  
lake and the humans and pokemon there. {This place has given me new  
life. Now I shall use all my power to defend it!}  
  
A huge beacon of light shot off of the mountain as Mewtwo gathered the  
spring, lake, pokemon, and human children and sent them beneath the  
mountain. He left Team Rocket on the mountaintop, ready to deal with  
them later.  
  
He designed a cavern under Mt. Cana to reflect the beauty that he saw  
in it. The clones seemed to like it, they began to explore and play  
instantly. Ash walked over to Mewtwo and for once the pokemon did not  
cringe away as a human approached him.  
  
"This is amazing!" commented Ash.  
  
{I have moved the lake and the spring beneath Mt. Cana,} explained  
Mewtwo. {They will be protected here.}  
  
"I can't wait to call Prof. Oak and tell him about this!" continued  
Ash.  
  
Contact a scientist? That can't be allowed. {You will tell no one,}  
said Mewtwo. {Once you leave this place you must leave behind your  
memories of me and all you have seen here.}  
  
"You're going to make us forget?" asked Ash, remotely disturbed. But  
it was the only way.  
  
"You can't do that!" protested the talking Meowth as they appeared out  
of hiding.  
  
"Meowth be quiet!" snapped James.  
  
"Don't stick your nose into this, Meowth!" added Jessie.  
  
"It's got nothing to do with my nose," snapped Meowth. "It's what all  
the other pokemon are saying. It's only natural to wonder about who  
you are and where you came from. And one days these little ones are  
going to want some answers, only there won't be any , not if you are  
going to make everybody forget!"  
  
A valid argument, and the clones seemed to sympathize. But, could  
these humans be trusted with their secret?  
  
"So what if their parents were clones?" continued Meowth as he looked  
at the baby Rhyhorn and Nidoqueen around him. "They're all living  
creatures. They deserve to live and the deserve to know about  
themselves as much as you or me or anybody.... at least, that's what  
we think." He turned to his clone, who nodded in agreement. Mewtwo  
thought on this.  
  
"I think we should remember too," agreed Ash. "Meowth's right."  
  
"And just forgetting things doesn't change the fact that they  
happened," added Brock.  
  
"Don't you think everyone deserves to know who they are and where they  
come from?" asked Misty.  
  
{Yes,} agreed Mewtwo. Some things were finally beginning to make  
sense. {They deserve to remember. If we are to look to the future as  
other pokemon do, we must be able to look to the past as well. The  
shame of that past is not ours, it belongs to those who used our past  
to set us apart. To ensure the safety of all my fellow pokemon and of  
this healing place I will clear only the memories of those who seek to  
destroy them. Only they will forget.}  
  
Mewtwo once again summoned his powers, focusing on the bulk of Team  
Rocket. He erased their memories and sent them back to their base.  
He felt his legs wobble a little. He couldn't push himself too much  
hard, it had been a hard day to begin with.  
  
But as a final act if gratitude he fixed the Meowth head balloon for  
Jessie and James. He then created one for Ash, Brock, and Misty so  
they too could get down from the mountain. They were ready to leave.  
Mewtwo began to elevate the clones away from Mt. Cana as he said good-  
bye.  
  
{The time has come for use to depart, he said to the humans. The  
clones and originals were also saying their good-byes. {Thank you.}  
He meant it. {I will remember you always.} He said to Ash  
specifically.  
  
"This time we will both remember," said Ash. He had picked up on the  
fact that they had met before. Thank goodness he didn't know the  
details.  
  
Mewtwo flew off with the remaining clones.   
They vanished from sight.  
  
***********************************************************************  
*********  
  
Johto League.....  
  
Celitwo was learning how to survive the hard way. She had learned a  
lot through watching, and she wasn't happy with what she was learning.  
  
For instance, one day she had wandered close to a road that was often  
traveled. On this particular day two trainers had stopped for a  
battle. She wacthed, surprised, as two pokemon were produced from  
spheres that the trainers carried. The two opponents were a Pigeotto  
and a Nidorino.  
  
Celitwo watched in horro as the pokemon continued to fight each other,  
as they tried to hurt each other. She didn't undersatnd it. Why  
would pokemon be willing to hurt each other at a human's command?  
  
She was even more surprised when after the ballte the two trainers  
embraced their pokemon. How was it possible that a human actually  
cared baout a pokemon? Another surprise was the friendship that  
developed between the pokemon and the humans after they stopped  
fighting. they didn't act like rivals, more like friends.  
  
She retreated further into the forest, remembering Dr. Maple's  
caution.  
  
At another time Celitwo witnessed a trainer battling a wild pokemon, a  
Raticate. She watched as the trainer cornered and battered the wild  
pokemon down in battle. When the Raticate was too weak to stand one  
of the sphere was thrown, imprisoning the Raticate inside. Celitwo  
was horrified at the cruelity and disrgard of freedom. It began to  
dawn on her why Dr. Maple had warned her to stay away from all humans.  
  
But humans weren't the only ones who liked to fight. Celitwo  
encountered many wild pokemon who tried to fight her. Once, she ran  
across a particularly grumpy Ursaring. The Ursarin was ruthless in  
its attacks against the clone. Celitwo panicked. She was in pain and  
not thinking clearly.  
  
In an instant her eyes flashed green and she threw the bear far back  
into the forest, seriously hurting it in the process. Celitwo was  
mortified by what she just did. She could hardly believe she was  
capable of such atrocities. She retreated further into the forest,  
farther from other living creatures.  
  
{What have I done? What have I done?} she asked herself, as she  
continued to hide. She had never been trained to use the awesome  
powers she had been created with.  
  
Quickly after that she learned Barrier, so she could defend herself  
without hurting others.  
  
She had several close calls with humans. Even in seclusion they seemed  
to appear. They seemed to be everywhere. She often had to hide or  
flee an entire area to get away from them. She never forgot Dr.  
Maple's last words of caution.  
  
The one things she learned more and more on her travels was  
loneliness. It pressed in around her like a suffocating weight.  
There was no one she could trust and there was nowhere she belonged.  
She was completely only in a world she had no knowledge of. It was  
enough to depress anyone.  
  
***********************************************************************  
*********  
  
AN/ Poetry time again, meaning I disclaim!  
  
A Description of my Dreams  
  
Oh, wake me not, my sisters dear,  
Nor call me when I sleep,  
And if no more I waken here,  
I pray you not to weep.  
  
For oh! I have such happy dreams,  
So fraught with joy and love!  
For to another world it seems  
I nightly do remove.  
  
So tranquilly, so silently,  
I join that world of bliss,  
That, were it not for so much joy,  
I still might think it this.  
  
I hear no voice, no single sound  
Is borne upon the air,  
But love and kindness all around,  
Seem breathing everywhere.  
  
They gently come and take my hand  
To clasp within their own;  
They are not here, that shadowy band-  
I wake-and they are flown.  
  
I think that spirits when we sleep  
Are watching from above,  
And if they thus their vigils keep,  
Their watchword must be love.  
  
Oh, surely on the midnight wind  
Pure spirits must be borne,  
To pour down joy upon the mind,  
Which vanishes with morn.  
  
They are not words, or looks, or tones,  
Which sink into my soul,  
Yet, when I wake my spirit moans  
To reach that happy goal.  
  
There seems a sense of thrilling bliss,  
Unearthly and refined,  
A mingling of that world with this,  
All heart-all soul-all mind!  
  
Even the summer flowers I love  
Are placed within my hand,  
And calmly, silently, I rove  
About that blessed land.  
  
Then wake me not, my sisters dear,  
Whene'er I sleep again:  
My waking hours are cold and drear-  
In sleep I know not pain.  
  
R. E. S  
  
AN/ Sorry Celitwo's section was so short. I wanted to make it longer,  
but the chapter was getting long enough as is. If I get enough  
suggestions and comments on that, I may go back and embelish that  
section. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! J 


	7. Hunt

Kanto League........  
  
"Boss, we have finished doing the analysis on the recent events," reported Domino to Giovanni.  
  
"And?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"None of our records show what our plans were. What's more, none of the combat force has any memory of what we were doing assembling," she answered. He growled, trying to think it through. "But...." she interrupted, trying not to have his wrath on her. "We have assessed the machinery. It is the most fascinating assortment of equipment imaginable. It seems designed to catch and hold a pokemon of phenomenal psychic strength."  
  
Giovanni got a strange look in his eyes. "I know what we are using that equipment for."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League......  
  
It is strange where the path of life takes one who is searching for his or her way. This was especially true of Mewtwo. He had no idea where he should flee to. He did not expect he would end up here.  
  
'Here' was the buzzing metropolis of Goldenrod City. His path had taken him into the sprawling midst of human civilization. It seemed like the only answer for the clone. Somehow he had been found when he had been living in complete isolation. Those who would seek to find him would look in out of the way places like Mt. Cana. But they would never think to look for him around people.  
  
It was the biggest risk he had ever taken. There was minimal chance of him being discovered on purpose, but there was a great risk of him being discovered on accident. Thus, Mewtwo had to constantly keep his defenses up. He was always on edge, alert for the slightest sound. If one person where to find him then others would follow. There was no place for him that was truly safe.  
  
It was lonely. He always had to watch out for unfriendly eyes. There was no one he could trust. He sent the other clones away, scattered in various locations. They were safer without him. It was his fault that Team Rocket hurt them. They would do better without him and his curse.  
  
Mewtwo's very existence was hard. Not only was his an outcast in the world because he was a clone, but he was also what every pokemon trainer seeked; rare and powerful. It was every human's dream to own a pokemon like him and that was why there was no place safe where ever he went. His friends were better off without him, but because who he was he had to live alone.  
  
It seemed odd that a pokemon, or even a human for that matter, could be so lonely with all sorts of other life bustling around them. But he was lonely and it closed around him like an oppressive weight. Maybe it was true when they said, "It is easiest to hide in a crowd and sometimes that is when you feel the loneliest."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League.......  
  
{What am I going to do?} Celitwo asked herself. Her isolation was pressing in extremely hard this day. She had tried to befriend the pokemon she saw, but they always fled at the sight of her. It wasn't fair! Why should she be treated like a freak, just because of where she came from and how she looked.  
  
She sat upright as an idea hit her. Why shouldn't she visit Dr. Maple? The pokemon scientist had sent her away because of the evil people. But the evil people should be gone by now. She could finally meet someone who accepted her.  
  
Celitwo smiled for the first time since her escape. She stood up and stretched her wings before flying back the way she came over a year ago.  
  
The forest stretched below her as she took to the skies. It felt good to fly, and Celitwo was feeling better than she had for months. She had almost forgotten the times her powers exploded from her, hurting those nearby. And she could certainly feel the weight of loneliness being lifted off of her heart.  
  
She recognized some of the trees and brooks that flitted below her. Celitwo smiled, for once being able to appreciate their beauty. It wasn't terribly long before Blackthorn City loomed into view.  
  
Celitwo stayed away from it while keeping the tallest buildings in sight. She circled around until she came to the road which led to her old lab. She smiled, despite the horrible memories she had of the place. Because there was one thing she remembered the most, she had a friend. Celitwo headed into the forest, trying to pick out Dr. Maple.  
  
She did find the doctor, who was in her home in Blackthorn City. Celitwo was shaken for a moment, trying to figure out how to find the doctor in the middle of the metropolis. But then something happened that she would never forget, something that shook her to her very core.  
  
FLASH! Celitwo had a premonition. Her psychic powers let her witness an event that she was not present at.  
  
Celitwo saw what she thought was Dr. Maple's home. It was a middle class home where she lived alone. It seemed..... cozy. But a dreadful cloud was hanging over it. Two people were in the home, Dr. Maple and someone evil.  
  
"I will ask one more time, Where is it?" demanded the rocket grunt to Dr. Maple. His pistol was aimed straight at her.  
  
"Celitwo escaped over a year ago!" protested Dr. Maple. "How am I supposed to know what has happened to her since then?"  
  
"Our sources report you were getting to close to the experiment," said the rocket grunt. "I am only going to ask nicely one more time. If you don't cooperate, you pay the price. Where is Celebitwo?"  
  
"Your sources!?" gasped Dr. Maple. "How did you....? Oh, dear lord! Those other scientists, those new ones. Celitwo knew they were evil, why didn't I believe her? But if they were evil and she said Giovanni was evil...... Oh, dear lord! We have been consorting with Tea, Rocket all along!" She seemed really shaken up. In fact, she was trying to stop her hands from shaking in fear.  
  
"Pity, you know too much," said the grunt as he mercilessly pulled the trigger.  
  
BANG! Dr. Maple fell to the floor, never to move again.  
  
"If you would have cooperated, it wouldn't have been this way," said the grunt as he kicked her body as he left. "It's all your fault."  
  
{No!} gasped Celitwo as she felt her strength leave her. She frantically began to search the town for her old friend, but her presence was gone. she sobbed as tears began to roll down her face. She slid to the forest floor, supported by her paws and knees. There seemed to be no point to anything now. She cried.  
  
Celitwo wasn't sure how long she remained there. But the day was dragging on when she heard something approaching her. She stood up and looked at it. A strange helicopter was coming out of the sky. The wind from its blades pulled tree branches away, exposing her to the occupants of the helicopter. Celitwo simply watched, not caring about anything any more. The top of the helicopter opened, revealing the megalomaniacal person inside.  
  
Celitwo gasped. He was the evil one who was behind Dr. Maple's death. {You killed her....} she whispered.  
  
"Celebitwo, imagine finding you here so long after your escape," said Giovanni in his haughty tone. "After all the searching we did for you, we thought you had gone far away. Butt finding you here makes our job so much easier."  
  
{You're evil!} Celitwo yelled back.  
  
"There is no need for name calling," said Giovanni. "I have a proposition for you. Come with me and I can give you anything you want. It is senseless for you to live alone like an escaped criminal. Come with me and truly live life."  
  
Celitwo may have been tempted to with him at one point in time, anything would have been better than living completely alone. But after seeing what had happened to Dr. Maple she could never trust him.  
  
{You killed her!} she yelled. {You have no heart! I would never trust you!} Perhaps that was Dr. Maple's last legacy, saving Celitwo from voluntarily surrendering her freedom.  
  
"Either way you will be coming with me, make your choice wisely," said Giovanni without batting an eye.  
  
{Never will I trust you!} she said for the first time feeling anger.  
  
"So be it," said Giovanni. He snapped his fingers and a wave of energy was shot at Celitwo.  
  
The pokemon clone was not ready for the attack, namely because it came at her from behind.  
  
While she had been busy with Giovanni the rest of the Combat Force had surrounded her. The attack had come from a parked jeep. Celitwo cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground. She was shocked that someone would actually be so ruthless as to hurt her like this.  
  
"All too easy," said Giovanni. "Paralyze it so we can capture it easier." The helicopter operator nodded and prepared to attack with their main weapon.  
  
Celitwo was struggling. All around her she saw faces of humans who didn't care if she suffered or not. Their coldness froze her heart. Her head jerked up as she saw the new attack coming. Her reaction was pure instinct.  
  
She threw up and Barrier and the attack was reflected to the area around her. Trees fell, vehicles exploded. The main helicopter flew higher to avoid being hit. Celitwo gaped in horror at the smoldering clearing. She couldn't believe what she had just done. She was no better than they were. She did the only left for her to do. She fled.  
  
"After her!" Giovanni ordered to the rest of his forces. "And get back up in here! Tell them to cut her off!"  
  
Celitwo south-west in a complete panic. She had no idea where she was heading, all she knew was that she had to get away. The Celebi part of her was confident that the forest would hide her. But that hope was shattered when she heard the helicopter beating overhead. She urged herself to go faster, trying to escape them.  
  
Then the rain of attacks began. Celitwo rolled in mid-air as the tree to her left burst into flames and exploded by their attack, its sap turned to steam in an instant.  
  
"What have they done?" she asked herself as she continued to flee.  
  
Their next attack hit her square in the back, sending her into the soft forest dirt. For a moment she feared that her spine had been snapped. But her legs still worked and she took off flying again, barely missing the attack that would have knocked her unconscious.  
  
{Help!} she called out but there was no one to answer her.  
  
"Hit her already!" bellowed Giovanni from the safety of his multimillion dollar helicopter.  
  
"It is difficult to aim through the trees," said the gunman with gritted teeth.  
  
"I asked for results not excuses!" snapped Giovanni.  
  
Celitwo flew on, panic dictating her every action. She had already gone beyond the forest she knew and was completely lost. But that didn't seem to matter anymore.  
  
She felt the shock waves of another attack race past her. The dirt beneath her exploded and she cartwheeled in the air to avoid the roots and rocks that were propelled into the air.  
  
She could sense another one coming at her. Once again instinct took over. She turned so she was facing the sky. With a wave of her paw she sent the attack back towards them before dashing off again, horrified that she used her powers to harm another, horrified that she even had power like that.  
  
The helicopter dodged the reflected attack with surprising ease and continued its pursuit.  
  
"We are approaching the blockade," reported the pilot.  
  
"Excellent," said Giovanni. "Celebitwo will be mine. Then, nothing will stop me."  
  
Celitwo continued blindly on. She kept one eye one the helicopter above her. The rest of her attention was focused on keeping her powers in check. She was so focused on this that she did not notice the trap until she fell into it.  
  
BOOM! She heard another wave of energy being thrown at her. She looked up, expecting to see it coming at her from above. She took the attack in the chest and was thrown to the ground, landing painfully on her left wing.  
  
She looked around. Once again she was surrounded by the Team Rocket Combat Force. She saw their machinery. A second later the forest was illuminated by their attacks, attacks which were specifically designed to incapacitate a psychic pokemon.  
  
Celitwo only had a moment to react. She threw up her Barrier and braced herself behind it. Attack after attack washed over her. Her Barrier held, but she was straining to do so. She did not have the training her counterpart did.  
  
Celitwo realized she wasn't going to last. She knew she needed to do more than defend. She needed to get away from them. Once again she panicked.  
  
But this produced much more desired results. She felt her body dissipate, than form on the outside of the ring that had trapped her. The attacks were behind her. Realizing this Celitwo started to fly away as fast as she could.  
  
"She Teleported!" gasped the pilot.  
  
"Then follow her!" ordered Giovanni. "All units after her!"  
  
The forest came to life with the sound of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles. Celitwo kept going, knowing the odds were against her. Now she had enemies on the ground and in the air. Still, she flew blindly on.  
  
She could feel all sorts of various attacks aimed at her. Many struck trees, scarring them. The Celebi part of her was enraged by this, but she had too much to worry about.  
  
She cried out in pain as an attack from the helicopter hit her between her wings. She fell again, which opened her up for a volley of attacks from the pursuing ground vehicles. Battered and bruised she pulled her strength together and took off again.  
  
She wove through the trees, trying to keep her attackers off of her back. The afternoon forest was glowing with strange lights as all sense of reality was lost for the pokemon clone. It was becoming a blur of trees and assaults, both of which could mean pain for her. She never imagined the tress would hurt her, but they did. She found this out when she got too close to a pine tree and graze her right wing, sending blood trickling down it.  
  
Team Rocket was relentless. Even though several vehicles had dropped off due to malfunctions, it seemed like more took their place. They were relentless and far out numbered Celitwo.  
  
She was breathing hard as the chase drug on. She was reaching the limits of her physical strength and she knew it. But Team Rocket continued their merciless assault.  
  
Another attack that seemed to come out of no where hit her already injured left wing. She dropped lower in the forest, so that she was barely skimming above the ground. Branches and dirt pelted her from missed attacks as tree branches and random bushes left scratches along her body. Her entire body was aching not only from the attacks, but from being pushed so hard. It seemed so hopeless.  
  
The forest had changed since she first entered. The trees were different and so was the atmosphere. Even the native pokemon were different. But Celitwo had no time to notice these things. Team Rocket was getting closer and she was getting tired.  
  
{AHHH!} she screamed as another attack completely paralyzed her left wing, sending her into the dirt again. She staggered to her feet and pushed herself on, moving mainly be her own psychic powers.  
  
Another attack knocked a tree branch down, right over her as she darted passed. Instincts once again caused her to throw up her Barrier. But at the branch hit the Barrier burst and the branch hit her in her shoulder. Her strength was waning and it was only a matter of time before they caught her.  
  
Celitwo stopped short. Her psychic senses suddenly picked up an entire civilization in front of her. She was only a couple of miles from a human town! Not knowing what to do, she was left vulnerable for another strike. The helicopter sent her into the dirt. She tried to push herself up, but her energy was almost gone.  
  
Celitwo felt them getting closer to her, their vile vibrations echoing through the forest. She remembered the evil she felt from them. Somehow, she was able to gather the strength the continue her flight.  
  
"She is getting tired," reported the pilot.  
  
"Then push her even harder," ordered Giovanni.  
  
Celitwo felt her side burning and it wasn't from the assault. Her own body was telling her she needed to stop. Her right wing ached and the left was completely numb, Her physical and mental strength were at their limits.  
  
A flash of light struck a tree in front of her, causing her to stop to avoid it. The helicopter locked on her and struck, turning up the power of its attack. Celitwo didn't have the strength or time to dodge it. It hurled her into another tree where she fell to the earth.  
  
Celitwo tried to stand but her arms wouldn't push her up. Two other attacks hit her, draining what remaining energy she had. She didn't even have the strength to scream in pain.  
  
It was over, they won. She lowered her head to the forest floor and closed her eyes. Any moment now they would come and take her and then.... she shuddered to think.  
  
She heard their vehicles pull up and the helicopter hovering overhead. She felt herself passing out, her bode demanding her to sleep so she could heal. It didn't seem to matter any more, this was the end.  
  
Celitwo felt a strange light cover the area. She was too tired to be shocked, though. But the rocket grunts weren't. The screamed and gasped in surprise as the light grew to blinding levels. Celitwo was able to make out so strange power controlling the light, but she was too tired to know what.  
  
Eventually the light faded and she was left alone in the forest. She could sense no other presenses around her. Giovanni and his forces had vanished.  
  
Then Celitwo realized she was not alone. She managed to open her eyes long enough to see a shadow cross over her. Then she fainted and she remembered nothing but darkness.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Another poem, this one I have actually written. It is on fictionpress.net, under "My Poetry Notebook"  
  
"Belonging"  
  
I know I'm alone,  
Sad as it may seem;  
But I know the  
Sun will rise again.  
  
Cold and Oh so cruel,  
A-A-A-lone  
But I'll find it in my heart,  
A place to call my own..  
  
A bird with broken wings,  
In a cage of stone.  
All hope is gone,  
The light that once had shown.  
  
In a pretty cage,  
Made of gold.  
Still it is a prison  
For freedom has been sold.  
  
Give me freedom,  
Give me dreams,  
Give back the hope;  
For things aren't as they seem.  
  
The door's been open  
For Faith is the key.  
I see the sky,  
For now I am free.  
  
Further, Farther,  
Never looking back.  
And I still wonder  
Just where I am at.  
  
Streaking across the sky,  
I am going home,  
Where my heart  
Has come from restless roam.  
  
Flying higher  
than e'er before;  
This is my place,  
forever more.  
  
I have found  
where I belong,  
because I followed  
my heart's true song.  
  
AN/ Anyone have any idea where I can find a synopsis of the 6th movie? It  
has been suggested, and I agree, that it would really help this story along. So if y'all know where I can find that, please tell me. I already have a general idea about the movie, so if you can find a synopsis please share. (*Sob* it is so sad. They won't show the 5th movie here! I have to wait for it to come out on VHS and DVD. They did the same thing for the 4th movie, which I only saw on DVD a month ago. It isn't fair!) And, as  
always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	8. Another

Johto League........  
  
Mewtwo had thought it was going to be another boring day. But it turned out he was completely wrong.  
  
It all started off normally enough. Just as the sun was beginning to set, Mewtwo took to the skies of Goldenrod City. But while he was patrolling the city, a commotion from outside its borders attracted his attention.  
  
Mewtwo wasn't sure what was going on. He could see several explosions through the nearby forest. These explosions were in a straight line, coming right for the city. Mewtwo instantly had towards them.  
  
Needless to say he was not shocked when he found out Team Rocket was behind this. He saw their Combat Force and knew they had to be making life miserable for some other creature.  
  
He summoned his powers and neutralized their forces, sending them miles away in a place far from most life. He then surveyed the damage. Trees were burnt and/or broken and all of the native pokemon had fled. But that was not what held his attention.  
  
Mewtwo quickly found the target of Team Rocket's chase. She was a pokemon he had never seen or heard of before. But she was badly injured from the assault by Team Rocket. She was also completely unconscious and not looking like she was going to wake up any time in the near future.  
  
He was even more confused by her appearance. She was as green as the forest around him, so he knew she had to be a native. Her gossamer wings were beautiful, but damaged from the fight. She had two antenna and some longer hair, like a human's, which was scattered over her body, showing how chaotic her last moments of consciousness had to have been. But Mewtwo was most confused by her paws. They looked like mittens, and Mewtwo could not find any natural use for them. She was bleeding and bruised in many places. But Mewtwo did find one old injury. A long scar ran across her back shoulder.  
  
Mewtwo quickly considered his options. The forest would not be safe for either of them. What she really needed was to get to a Pokemon Center, but the psychic clone did not trust humans enough to leave her in their care. The only other option was for him to take care of her. He thought of an abandoned warehouse in Goldenrod where they would be undisturbed. He then Teleported both of them there.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Johto League.......  
  
Celitwo slowly slid back awake. Her senses gradually showed her what was going on. The first thing she was aware of was that she was laying on her stomach. Next was the soreness, but not full out pain, of her entire body. She felt numb more or less all over.  
  
After that she sensed the others around her. Actually, there was only one strange presence near her. But not too far away the area buzzed with life. Celitwo realized this and snapped fully awake.  
  
{Where am I?!} she demanded as she jumped into the air, her wings supporting her. But they were too tired and weak, and she sat back on the crates she had been laying on with a low moan.  
  
{You are in a warehouse in Goldenrod City,} another telepathic voice answered her. This voice was masculine. Celitwo was completely shocked.  
  
{Who are you?} she asked as she turned to face the creature in the room with her.  
  
She had never seen another creature like him in all her travels. His intense violet eyes seemed to see straight through her. His eyes matched the color of his tail, but beyond that he was as white as snow. His paws were knobby, like most of his joints. But he held himself with dignity and pride.  
  
{I could ask you the same question,} he replied. {I am Mewtwo.}  
  
{I'm Celitwo,} she answered, nervously. It was quiet for a moment as he studied her. {What happened? How did I get here? Are those evil men still around?}  
  
{No one knows we are here,} answered Mewtwo. {I saw the explosions in the forest and investigated. I found you. You were badly hurt so I brought you here.}  
  
{Um..... thank you.....} she sighed.  
  
{Perhaps you can answer a few of my questions,} said Mewtwo. {If you are feeling better.}  
  
{I can't fly for a while, but I will talk,} she answered. Mewtwo nodded.  
  
He paused, not quite sure how to word his first question. {Why was Team Rocket after you? How did they know you were in that forest?}  
  
{Where else would I have gone?} she asked, confused.  
  
Mewtwo shook his head. He needed to know how they found her, in case they'd try to find him that way. {That is not what I meant. I have never heard of your kind before. How is it possible that Team Rocket has?}  
  
{Team Rocket?} she asked. {You must mean those evil people.} Mewtwo began to get the idea that he'd better treat her as a child if he wanted to learn anything. {But I am hardly a specie.}  
  
{What do you mean?} he asked.  
  
{I am alone,} she sighed. {I was living in the forest alone for a year. I wanted to see a friend but..... but..... but they killed her!} Celitwo started crying.  
  
{Team Rocket...... killed your friend?} asked Mewtwo, somehow not surprised.  
  
{Yes,} sobbed Celitwo. {She was the only one who was ever nice to me. And they killed her.....} Mewtwo waited for her to calm down before asking any more questions.  
  
He was trying to piece together what she was telling him. {So you've lived alone for a year, then Team Rocket found you and killed your friend?}  
  
{Yes,} she confirmed.  
  
{How did they know where to find you?}  
  
{Where else would I have gone but the forest?} she asked.  
  
{So you did not start out in the forest, the forest was not your first home?}  
  
{No, I went their because Dr. Maple told me to go away to get away from the evil people. The forest was the only place I could go.}  
  
{Your friend was human?} gasped Mewtwo, surprised. He hadn't anticipated this.  
  
{Yes.}  
  
{Your trainer?} asked Mewtwo, but all he got was a blank look. {Did she teach you to fight?}  
  
{No, mostly she was interested if I was health.}  
  
"A pokemon doctor," thought Mewtwo. Things were starting to make sense. This doctor was studying Celitwo. But Team Rocket must have heard of her work. When they showed up Dr. Maple must have released Celitwo. That must have upset Team Rocket enough to kill her.  
  
{So she released you and you hid in the forest for a year until Team Rocket found you today?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{Yes,} she replied, confused by his questions. What was he trying to find out about her? {I wish I could have done something else, it was so lonely. But I felt at home in the forest, even though none of the other pokemon liked me.}  
  
Loneliness, how common it was for him too. Then a new idea dawned on him. {How could the forest be your home, if none of the wild pokemon welcomed you there?}  
  
{I guess that is because I am mostly Celebi,} she answered. {Celebi likes the forest. That was why I could never leave it.}  
  
Mewtwo gaped at her, an idea hitting him that completely stunned him. {Celebi?} She nodded. {Your name, Celitwo..... Do you mean Celebi.....two?}  
  
{The way Dr. Maple explained it to me was that Celebitwo was my specie, but name was Celitwo,} she answered.  
  
{You are a clone...... of Celebi?} he asked, still gaping.  
  
{Yes,} she said, a bit taken back. {But that doesn't mean that I'm not a pokemon!}  
  
{I never said you were not,} replied Mewtwo, who was still staring at her in disbelief.  
  
{Then what is wrong?} she asked.  
  
{I am a clone of Mew,} he answered.  
  
Now it was her turn to be surprised. A phrase from her time in the lab popped up in her mind. She had often heard it, but thought nothing of it, until now. {New Island?}  
  
{What do you know about New Island?} asked Mewtwo, who was instantly on guard.  
  
{The other scientists..... they kept mentioning a project on New Island...... Was that you?} she asked.  
  
{Yes,} he replied, monotone.  
  
She smiled. {I thought I was alone..... the only one. I'm glad I'm not alone any more.} She had a friend, someone who had gone through what she had gone through. Someone who was as different from the world as she was.  
  
Celitwo stood to walk towards him, but she was still to tired. Her legs gave out and she started to collapse.  
  
{You need to rest to recover your strength,} said Mewtwo. He caught her before she fell and set her back on the makeshift bed. {I will make sure we are not disturbed while you sleep.}  
  
Celitwo nodded and laid down. Fatigue took her and she slept a few minutes later.  
  
Mewtwo looked at her, confused. Here was another who was so much like him. Knowing Giovanni she was incredibly powerful, even though she may not know it yet. And knowing Giovanni, he'd continue to try to catch her. Mewtwo cursed himself for not taking their memories earlier that day.  
  
But that could not be changed. First he needed to heal her. Then he needed to train her with her powers. Without training she'd be a danger to herself and others.  
  
Mewtwo paced a bit, trying to think of what to do. He then decided to look to the past with his psychic powers and find out more about her. He put a shield around them so that while he was busy they wouldn't be seen. He then let his mind drift back, looking at the past like it was a movie. As he started to lose sight in the present he glanced over at her. Maybe he wouldn't be alone forever.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
?????..........  
  
A dreamer tossed and turned through the night. At first sleep was peaceful, but now the dreams were disturbing.  
  
At first the dreamer dreamed of forests and mountains, of oceans and skies. The dreamer dreamed of a world in peace, where harmony reigned. Waters fell gently, encouraging growth and life. All around was happiness.  
  
But now there was none. Thorns grew and dangers came. Dark clouds hung in the sky and refused to move, no matter how much the wind blew. And blow the wind did. It howled and shrieked as it tore across the landscape. Sometimes these winds brought hail, other times sleet or even cyclones.  
  
The dreamer shuddered, unable to wake from this nightmare. But then something far worse arose. Shadows came and covered the land, shrouding everything in darkness. They swarmed over everything, taking it and destroying it. There was no escape.  
  
Then the darkness turned and started to chase the dreamer. The dreamer tossed and turned in reality, trying to escape the nightmare. The shadows still came closer, and closer.  
  
"It's not me they're after! It's the other two!" the dreamer realized, fear gripping the heart. 


	9. Dreams

In a remote region of Johto......  
  
"Curse it all!" swore Giovanni. "I almost had her! What went wrong?!" He looked at his battered force, but only got equally confused looks back.  
  
"Much of the equipment is still salvageable," reported Domino. "We can still continue our pursuit of Celebitwo."  
  
"Head back to headquarters and arrange it!" ordered Giovanni.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Goldenrod City.......  
  
Both clones had drifted asleep. But sleep was no refuge. Dark dreams hunted them there, dreams about the past, present, or future, or even about a disturbed subconscious, it was hard to say. But the dream was always the same.  
  
Things seemed to be going good. It was a beautiful day and they seemed perfectly safe. But a lone cloud drifted across the sky, blocking out a portion of the sun. It was so little, it didn't seem worth the concern.  
  
But that tiny cloud grew. Soon, too soon, it was a huge dark thunder cloud. It covered the entire sky. The storm began, furious and harsh. The wings clawed at the landscape and hail pelted the earth. There was no shelter to be found. So the sleeping clones did what they could to fend it off.  
  
But that storm was the least of their worries. The cloud in the sky, the once tiny cloud, was growing stronger. It grew blacker and more ominous by the second. It was getting so big that it filled the sky and began to descend to earth. At first it looked like a cyclone. No, there were three cyclones. But it was more than that. The cyclones seemed to form three claws, a terrible hand. They reached for the dreamers, trying to corner them and crush them  
  
The winds wailed all the louder. But then, over the winds a small voice was carried. It was barely audible, but once it was heard it was impossible to forget. The voice only said one phrase, but its tone couldn't be more serious.  
  
"They're coming, get away! They're coming, get away! They are coming, get away!"  
  
Both clones jumped awake that night, clearly shaken.  
  
{What was that?} asked Celitwo, nervously.  
  
{What was what?} asked Mewtwo, who had already pushed it off as a dream.  
  
{That storm..... So cold..... so......} she shuddered.  
  
{A dream....} he answered, simply. Then he straighten up. {The same one I had.}  
  
{They are coming......get away.....} repeated Celitwo. {What does that mean......? I think I know......}  
  
{If we both had the same dream I doubt it was a dream,} said Mewtwo, nervously. He was saying this mostly for his own benefit. {A warning..... but a warning of what?}  
  
{Someone was trying to warn us..... I almost think I know who.... but I don't know the name.....} muttered Celitwo, who was chasing a faint thought around her mind.  
  
{What is the threat?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{I know!} gasped Celitwo, leaping up. Her strength had returned enough so she didn't collapse.  
  
{What is it?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{That voice.....} she said, trying to word her idea. {Another..... I don't think we are alone....... I think that was another.......clone.}  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
??????........  
  
AN/ Poetry time again! This will (maybe) be the last one. I again disclaim this one (it is a tad too romantic for what I am trying to convey, but it is a good poem, just over look that fact). I got it off of a wallpaper for Clover by CLAMP. Great series, though it is a bit of a tragedy. It is only 4 short mangas, so I'd recommend anyone with the time to read it. I also still have the wallpaper I got this poem off of, so if you want it, e-mail me or tell me in a review with your e-mail.  
  
"Yesterday"  
  
I follow the night.... Can't stand the light....  
When will I begin..... to live again?  
One day I'll fly away.... leave all this to yesterday....  
What more could your love do for me?....  
When will love be through with me?  
Why live life from dream to dream?.... And dread the day when dreaming  
ends?  
One day I'll fly away.... leave all this to yesterday.  
Why live life from dream to dream?.... And dread the day when dreaming  
ends?  
One day I'll fly away  
Fly, fly  
Away. 


	10. Finding the Dreamer

Johto League......  
  
{Impossible!} gasped Mewtwo. {There can't be another!}  
  
{But it feels right......} muttered Celitwo. {Just follow your heart.....}  
  
{How can there be another clone?} asked Mewtwo. {I've scoured Team Rocket's history. They did not create any more.}  
  
{So that means that Team Rocket didn't create this one,} said Celitwo, coolly.  
  
{Then who did?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{I don't think that is important,} said Celitwo. {I think we should find the other clone.}  
  
{Another one......} muttered Mewtwo, still adjusting to the whole idea.  
  
{That dream we both had wasn't ours,} continued Celitwo. {The other sent it. All we have to do is follow the dream to the dreamer.}  
  
{How does this clone know about us?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{That is something we'll have to ask when we find it,} sighed Celitwo.  
  
{We will wait for night,} said Mewtwo. {Then it will be safe to travel.}  
  
That night.......  
  
The two clones were perched on the roof of a skyscraper. Mewtwo looked out over the city, watching for unfriendly eyes. Celitwo's wings were buzzing slightly in nervousness.  
  
{Are you ready?} she asked.  
  
{Yes,} answered Mewtwo, hesitating. To follow the dream meant that they had to open their minds to each other and follow the path the dream came. And he wasn't at all willing to let that happen.  
  
Celitwo looked over at him, her eyes meeting his. He nodded and they began to concentrate. He began to glow blue and her green. They went deeper into each other's minds, searching for the one similarity, the strange dream.  
  
They found it and began to feel it.  
  
Shadows were covering a once beautiful place. The flowers that once bloomed were now wilting and dying as they turned to dust. The light was fading until everything seemed monochromatic.  
  
{So strong.....} moaned Celitwo as they found the path.  
  
{We are being sent another dream!} exclaimed Mewtwo.  
  
It got darker and darker. Clouds blotted out the sky. The clouds kept rolling in, right on top of each other. They kept coming until it seemed like there'd be no more room in the sky for them. And still they came.  
  
{I can't escape!} cried Celitwo, panicking.  
  
{Remain calm,} said Mewtwo. He knew that if she panicked she might lose control of her powers again. {Follow the path to the dreamer. The path is open now.}  
  
The clouds got angrier as the winds began to pick up. The thick mass of clouds began to stir and swirl. They merged into a vortex, into a cyclone it seemed.  
  
Celitwo looked around. {I'm afraid.}  
  
Mewtwo looked over at her, surprised that she admitted it. {We are almost there.} They continued to focus down the path, heading towards the dreamer.  
  
The cyclones began to take another shape. The seemed to merge together, taking on another form. It seemed like a large hand, with long grasping fingers. And it was reaching, reaching down towards the ground, towards them!  
  
{I can't do it!} said Celitwo, panicking. {I'm not strong enough!}  
  
{Yes you are,} said Mewtwo. {Just focus harder. This is all an illusion, nothing more!}  
  
She nodded and the two doubled their efforts.  
  
FLASH! A streak of gold appeared about two hundred yards away from them. It seemed like thunder, but it linger far after thunder should. The two clones were heading right for it. Soon they were close enough to see that the patch of gold was another creature.  
  
{We found it,} stated Mewtwo.  
  
{Yes.....} muttered Celitwo. She was so focused on the third one, that she had forgotten about the black storm vortex that was trying to claim them.  
  
The third clone was primarily sky blue, save its head, which was slightly darker blue. It had a large golden 'hat', which was actually part of its anatomy. A few golden ribbons hung off f it. But these ribbons were long. They were braided halfway down its back. A golden charm was embedded in the middle of its collarbone. Its arms were long and they ended in dainty, too small paws. Around its waist was a ridge of longer, darker blue fur. Its thighs were thick, but its forelegs were narrow. Its feet were about the same as its paws, too narrow. All in all, the pokemon looked a little top heavy.  
  
{It seems to be upset,} said Celitwo when she noticed how Jirachitwo was tossing in its sleep. She reached out her paw to touch the third.  
  
FLASH! The dream dissolved.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
?????................  
  
{Where are we?} asked Celitwo as they broke free of the dream.  
  
They were not where they had started aloft Goldenrod City. They were in the middle of nowhere, so it seemed. It was just becoming morning, the sunrise was visible over the palm trees. Strange rocks speckled the ground. They stood on a gentle rolling hill. The ocean was heard not too far away. It was warm here as well.  
  
Jirachitwo wasn't far away. The third clone was sleeping on a rock, that was completely hidden behind a grove of palm trees. You had to be at the right angle to see it, which is exactly where Mewtwo and Celitwo were.  
  
{Teleport....} muttered Mewtwo. {We concentrated so hard it brought us here.} He was glancing around, looking for any danger.  
  
{Now what do we do?} asked Celitwo as she carefully drifted closer to the sleeping Jirachitwo. Mewtwo simply watched, he didn't reply.  
  
Celitwo looked over the other clone, not sure what to make of it. She looked back at Mewtwo, but he only narrowed his eyes. Celitwo turned back to the dreamer and slowly extended her arm, to rose it.  
  
But just as her paw was an inch away from Jirachitwo, the clone sat up straight, instantly awake. Celitwo jumped out of nervousness and began to hover in the air, her wings buzzing slightly.  
  
Jirachitwo looked around, frantically. {What happened? Where am I?} it asked.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
AN/ Sure, this is unnecessary, but I am putting it in, for 'old time's sake.' Again, I have to disclaim. These happen to be the lyrics to a song from the game Lunar. Great game, I'm eventually going to have to start the fic I have planned for it.......  
  
Lunar Lyrics  
  
Wishing on a dream that seems far off  
hoping it will come today.  
  
Into the starlit night,  
Foolish dreamers turn their gaze,  
Waiting on a shooting star.  
  
But, what if that star is not to come?  
Will their dreams fade to nothing?  
When the horizon darkens most,  
We all need to believe there is hope.  
  
Is an angel watching closely over me?  
Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?  
I know my heat should guide me, but,  
There's a hole within my soul.  
  
What will fill this emptiness inside of me?  
Am I to be satisfied without knowing?  
  
I wish, then, for a chance to see,  
Now all I need, [desperately]  
  
Is my star to come...  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
AN/ Okay, vote time!!! What gender should Jirachitwo be? I've been stumped on that since I began this..... So, y'all vote and tell me, K? Thanks! And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	11. Jirachitwo & Trouble

AN/ Well it was 3 to 2 for Jirachitwo being a girl, so that's how it is.  
  
?????........  
  
{Where am I? What happened?} repeated Jirachitwo. It was clear by the mental voice that Jirachitwo was a girl.  
  
{Where are we?} Celitwo asked Mewtwo.  
  
He concentrated for a moment before answering. {In a forgotten island in the Orange League.}  
  
{Who are you?} asked Jirachitwo as she watched with wide-eyes. She leaned a little closer to get a good view of her guests.  
  
{My name is Celitwo,} answered Celitwo.  
  
{Mewtwo,} replied Mewtwo, simply.  
  
{Who are you?} asked Celitwo, some of her nervousness vanishing after seeing how mild Jirachitwo was.  
  
Jirachitwo didn't answer. She just sat there and blinked. She had no memory of her past, having only opened her eyes to the world a few moments ago.  
  
{What's your name?} tried Celitwo, again.  
  
{I..... I don't know,} said Jirachitwo, a little dazed at that revelation.  
  
{Do you remember anything?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{It's.....it's blurry now......} stammered Jirachitwo. {I remember...... there was clear sky..... and a lake. I was flying over it, over the trees.... Then it got really dark. There was this painful jolt. It got even darker. I don't remember much..... I tried to fight it. I tried to run. Then, the sun came out again.... It was warm, there was flowers. It was......beautiful. But then shadows came.} Jirachitwo shuddered. {It was like a storm, reaching.... claws, trying to take me. But then....} She sat up straighter, having not yet stepped from the rock she was sleeping on. {It was reaching for me! They were after someone else! I have to warn them! I tried to......}  
  
{You sent your dreams to us,} said Mewtwo. {That is how we found you.}  
  
{Your the ones the shadows are after?}  
  
{Who's after us?} asked Celitwo, nervously.  
  
{I.... don't know....} replied Jirachitwo, looking sad.  
  
{Do you remember anything except your dreams?} asked Mewtwo. Jirachitwo blinked back. She hadn't know the difference between dreams and reality.  
  
{You don't know anything about yourself?} asked Celitwo, half with pity. Jirachitwo shook her head.  
  
{May I?} asked Mewtwo, as he placed a paw forward.  
  
{May you what?} asked Jirachitwo, curiously.  
  
{I want to use your mind to look into your past so we all can find answers,} he answered.  
  
{Okay.....} agreed Jirachitwo. Mewtwo nodded and his eyes began to glow.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
The world was dark to the dreamer, but the dreams were full of life. It was bliss. The three clones watched Jirachitwo's early dreams, curtsey of Mewtwo extending his power to include them in what he was seeing. Jirachitwo smiled and Celitwo gaped at the beauty. She had never seen anything so breath-taking before.  
  
Mewtwo would have liked to linger, but they would not find the facts in the dream. He pushed the images aside and focused on reality.  
  
Reality was dark. Jirachitwo shuddered. Celitwo drifted a little closer to her. Voices were heard, though muffled, in the darkness.  
  
"I'm detecting a flux in it's brain waves."  
  
"Keep a close eye......"  
  
The voices faded in and out, it was impossible to fully understand what was going on.  
  
"..... are dropping!"  
  
"We're losing Jirachitwo!"  
  
The dreams, which had been a major distraction before, were now growing cold and dark. The warm sun had long set. Night was falling. Jirachitwo's subconscious was trying to make her body follow her mind.  
  
"Prepare an electro-surge!"  
  
A painful jolt of electricity raced through the clones' bodies, which they were unprepared for.  
  
{Why did they do that?} asked Jirachitwo, who hadn't understood any of this.  
  
{I....} stammered Celitwo, but Jirachitwo continued.  
  
{I didn't know what to do.....}  
  
There was another surge of power, but this one came from Jirachitwo herself. For a second her eyes had flown open, allowing Mewtwo and Celitwo to see where she was at. She was in a tank. From beyond the hazy waters they could make out the indistinguishable faces of the scientists. Celitwo and Mewtwo shuddered. It brought back bad memories for both of them.  
  
Mewtwo pulled his powers further, trying to analyze the situation.  
  
{You damaged some of their machines with that blast,} he said.  
  
{With what blast?} asked Jirachitwo.  
  
Mewtwo didn't answer. He just realized he had to deal with another powerful clone who knew nothing of her powers.  
  
It was still for a moment. The dreams were quiet and dark. Jirachitwo seemed to be disconnected from all reality. But then, very slowly, the dreams came back. It was like a gentle sunrise, which in fact Jirachitwo was dreaming about.  
  
{I knew I had to get away,} she muttered.  
  
{How?} asked Celitwo, remembering how hard it had been for her to escape.  
  
Just then, there was a sudden surge of power from the memory.  
  
{Teleport,} answered Mewtwo, recognizing it instantly. {You Teleported out of there while you were asleep.}  
  
{I did?} asked Jirachitwo.  
  
The dreams came back, as lovely as ever. But Celitwo and Mewtwo could feel the beginnings of the storm Jirachitwo had warned them about.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
{Your subconscious felt your desire to escape. It also knew of your love of natural beauty. That is why we found you in the Orange League. You have slept there since you escaped,} explained Mewtwo.  
  
{That makes sense,} agreed Celitwo.  
  
{But it does not answer a lot of questions,} said Mewtwo. {Who created you? And why?}  
  
{I don't know......} said Jirachitwo.  
  
{Don't worry, we'll help you find out,} said Celitwo.  
  
{You will?} asked Jirachitwo.  
  
{Yes, Jirachitwo,} said Mewtwo.  
  
{That's my name?}  
  
{It is probably your specie name,} said Celitwo. {.......How does Jiratwo sound for a name?}  
  
{Okay!} agreed the newly dubbed Jiratwo.  
  
{I think we should head to the Hoenn League, if we are two find answers,} said Mewtwo.  
  
{Where?}  
  
{Why?} asked the others.  
  
{Because that is where I sensed you came from,} answered Mewtwo, a tad exasperated. They weren't the easiest two to deal with, but they were certainly better than Team Rocket. {We need to find out more about this threat that you can sense. We need to find out who created you, and why. And, if we can, how they got Jirachi's DNA.}  
  
{Jirachi?} asked Jiratwo.  
  
{The pokemon you were cloned from,} answered Mewtwo.  
  
{I don't understand....} said Jiratwo. No one could blame her for not knowing. Everything she had known turned out to be a dream.  
  
This question began a long discussion about clones, and the cloning process. Celitwo was impressed with how much Mewtwo actually knew. And they both had to explain their history to Jiratwo. It was the middle of the day before they set out for the Hoenn League.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Kanto League.....  
  
"Well!" snapped Giovanni. "Any sign tracing what was the cause for the failure of recapturing Celebitwo?"  
  
"We've only been able to pin the disruption on a massive psychic surge," said Domino, who had the unfortunate task of explaining everything to her boss. "The problem is that Celebitwo was too weak to perform something so extreme."  
  
"And why haven't you tracked it down yet?" snapped Giovanni.  
  
"Because.... we have word that Team Aqua and Team Magma are on the move," stammered Domino. "......looking for a clone."  
  
"It's time I crush them once for all and claim this world for my own," growled Giovanni.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League........  
  
"Maxie!" exclaimed a Magma grunt as he raced into her private office of Team Magma's hideout.  
  
"What?" she snapped, not at all happy about being disturbed.  
  
"My partner and I were going through the old databases," he explained, talking very quickly. "We found something that may be of use." He pointed to a large, manila folder in his hands.  
  
"Set it on my desk..... I'll get to it later," she replied, dismissively.  
  
"But....." he stammered, obviously hoping for some approval.  
  
"You may go," she said, coldly.  
  
"Y-yes," he stammered and left.  
  
A few hours later Maxie finally got to the folder he had given her. It was label 'The Jirachi Genome Project.' She read the first page, with apathy. But it very quickly perked her interest. She read the conclusion of the project, then noticed what the grunt had highlighted.  
  
Project Success: Failure  
  
Termination of Clone: Not Confirmed  
  
Abortion of Project: Confirmed  
  
She sat bolt up right.  
  
"Those %&*@# Aquas have to have it!" she exclaimed.  
  
She hit an intercom on her desk. "I want my best members here! Now! I have a new mission."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League.......  
  
"Is this the best you were able to salvage?" asked Archie. He was examining some electronics that two of his grunts had brought in.  
  
"The sensoring equipment was fried," said the girl. "And Team Magma was coming."  
  
"We took what we could and left the building to burn," added the guy.  
  
"What research facility was this?" asked Archie.  
  
"It was a genetics lab," said the girl. "It was co-owned, before we realized what scum Team Magma was."  
  
"Your dismissed," said Archie with a wave of his hand. The two nodded and walked out.  
  
"I remember something about that project...." he muttered to himself, as he returned to his office. He sat down behind his computer and began typing.  
  
It wasn't long before he found the old files, still in the database. The fire might have destroyed the paper files, but they were still on the Team Aqua network. In a short time he was reading the same report Maxie was.  
  
Project Success: Failure  
  
Termination of Clone: Not Confirmed  
  
Abortion of Project: Confirmed  
  
He, too, after reading this bolted upright. He raced out of his office and grabbed the phone off of the wall, pounding each button as he dialed.  
  
Archie hardly waited for a 'Hello' before he was yelling orders. "I want my best officers to meet me in my office. I have some business to finish, dealing with an unfinished project from a year ago..."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
AN/ I think I have some real psychics reading this. Sorry I don't have to names while I was typing this comment..... Anyways, one person correctly guessed that I was going to call Jirachitwo, Jiratwo. And someone else guessed that Jiratwo had been sleeping this entire time.  
  
AN2/ How do y'all feel about a coupling between the clones? Honest answers now. I'm toying with some ideas, but I want to know how y'all feel about it.  
  
And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


	12. The Search

AN/ Sorry for the mix-up with Maxie..... I only have Sapphire, so I have never seen the graphic for the leader of Team Magma, just the icon. Well, it was an honest mistake. Maxie sounds like a girl's name, and the icon looks feminine. *Dodges rotten vegetables and flames.* Bear with me on this..... In my opinion, having all the gangs lead by men seems a bit farfetched, cause women are just as evil as men, after all..... So I am going to keep Maxie as a woman *Dodges fruit, shoes, and pokemon attacks.* Sorry, sorry..... And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
Kanto League.......  
  
"Boss," said Domino, timidly, as she walked into his office. He had been in awful moods lately, especially with the news that Team Aqua and Magma succeeding where Team Rocket had failed.  
  
"What?!" he snapped. Even his Persian seemed to cringe when he took that tone.  
  
"We have managed to track Team Aqua's and Team Magma's plans," she explained. "They are on the move in the Hoenn League. If we send a team there, we can stop them in their tracks and claimed what they are trying to steal from us."  
  
"Do it! I want my best in this case," he ordered. "And ready my helicopter."  
  
"Y-your helicopter....sir," stammered Domino.  
  
"Yes, I am heading there too," he said, standing up. "This is too important to leave to the grunts without my supervision."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Hoenn League.......  
  
The three clones were flying high in the sky, to avoid being seen by unfriendly eyes. And they had no idea how many unfriendly eyes were searching for them. Celitwo's wings buzzed as her mind flitted between imagined problems and real ones. Jiratwo zigzagged through the air, happy with her newfound freedom. She laughed and giggled at each stunt she pulled. Mewtwo had two watch the others, concern about their own safety because their own untrained powers were dangerous to anyone in the area. His anxiety to know more about the other cloning projects drove him on.  
  
{What are we looking for?} asked Celitwo, at length.  
  
{The place Jirachitwo was created,} he answered.  
  
{It's Jiratwo!} laughed Jiratwo, from somewhere above them. She then dove into a nice dive, right between the other clones.  
  
{It would be wise for you to learn caution,} suggested Mewtwo. {We are not safe.}  
  
{There's no one here,} said Jiratwo, who was only half listening.  
  
{You have no idea how ruthless humans can be,} he said, coldly. His tone made Celitwo shudder.  
  
{How much further?} asked Celitwo.  
  
{Wow!} exclaimed Jiratwo.  
  
The cloud they had been traveling through had vanished. The island of Hoenn stretched below them. Rising on the horizon was Mt. Pyre. Early morning mists dotted the coastal chores. Blue waves liked rocky cliffs. Large forest stretched over rolling hills. It was beautiful.  
  
{So, where am I from?} asked Jiratwo as she looked at the land below eagerly.  
  
Mewtwo focused for a moment, searching for old ties that he had sensed in the dreams he had seen of Jiratwo.{This way.} He led them into a large, solitary expanse of field by the southern coast.  
  
They landed, after checking to make sure they were alone. Celitwo looked around, nervously, still. She never felt completely safe unless she was surrounded by trees. Jiratwo didn't seem to notice. She had crouched down and was poking at some flowers. Only Mewtwo seemed focused on looking for Jiratwo's old lab. Celitwo noticed the look in his eyes and walked over.  
  
{Where is it?} she asked.  
  
He walked away, to the top of the hill. There was some mangled metal and loose stones. That was all that remained.  
  
{This is what is left of it,} answered Mewtwo, sounding frustrated.  
  
Jiratwo wondered over and sat on a stone. {This is what happened to that cold place? I'm glad.}  
  
{We will not be able to find our answers here,} said Mewtwo.  
  
{And you don't know where else to look,} added Celitwo, picking up on his hesitation.  
  
Mewtwo nodded. He hated not knowing. It meant he didn't have much control of things. And he hated not having control. No one could blame him, though, after seeing what happened when other people tried to take control.  
  
{We should leave," said Mewtwo, at length. His psychic instincts were sending him warnings, and he didn't know what the danger was.  
  
{Why?} asked Jiratwo, who was exploring a bush. {It's pretty here.}  
  
That question answered itself. A moment later the distinctive sound of helicopter blades approaching was heard. Then came the grind of all terrain vehicles racing over the clearing.  
  
AN/ Sorry for the short chapter.......... Until next time, you know what to do.....Don't make me say it....... 


	13. Three on Three

A large, expensive helicopter flew into view. Mewtwo watched it without blinking, a fierce expression on his face. It was enough to cause the other clones to cringe. Although Celitwo didn't pay too much attention to him. Her eyes were also looked on the helicopter. She recognized it as the one that had chased her to the point of exhaustion hardly a week ago.  
  
{What's going on?} asked Jiratwo, nervously. {Who are they? I don't like them..... They feel evil.} She didn't get a response, the other two were too focused on the enemy.  
  
There was a low groan from the ground under the helicopter. About a dozen all-terrain vehicles bearing the Team Rocket insignia rolled into view. All carried large and dangerous looking weapons, which were promptly aimed at the clones. Mewtwo could feel dark energy radiating from them.  
  
"This isn't good...." he thought.  
  
The top hatch of the helicopter opened and a platform was raised. On it stood the contender for the title of 'Most Evil Man in the World.' When Celitwo saw him she cringed back. Jiratwo darted behind her. Mewtwo stepped forward, shielding them from his former partner.  
  
"Celebitwo, we meet again," said Giovanni. "But this time you will not escape."  
  
"At least they still have no memory of me...." thought Mewtwo. Although that wasn't much of a consolation.  
  
"And your friends are quite interesting," continued Giovanni with his usual arrogance.  
  
{Go away!} exclaimed Jiratwo. But when Giovanni turned his gaze on her, she cringed back even further.  
  
"Boss," said Domino, reporting to his via a microphone. "We have just finish the analysis of the other two pokemon. Their bio-signs are almost identical to Celebitwo. They are also clones."  
  
"Now that is interesting....." muttered Giovanni. He opened his mouth to address the pokemon again. But before he could another sound caught his attention.  
  
It was the sound of another mass of vehicles rumbling over the earth, somewhere to the extreme right of Team Rocket. It then seemed like an echo, because similar sounds started coming from the left.  
  
It was long before those behind the massive transports made their appearance. To the right emerge Team Magma, lead by Maxie. She sat on top of a large, tank-like machine. It had massive wheels that gripped the earth, grinding rocks into powder. Several weapon's barrels poked out of tiny slits of windows on it. (AN/ For those of you who know of Lunar, picture the Dragonship Destiny from Lunar 2.) Several jeeps roared around it, all bearing the Magma insignia.  
  
Team Aqua was the other group. Archie stood on top of a small, three person plane, between the wings. Two other planes flow besides him. These planes were normally designed to handle the breezes off of the ocean. Below them came a large armored truck, flanked by dirt bikes. It reverberated with the same dark power that the other two gangs' machines did. The clones eyed each new enemy up slowly, realizing they were in a lot of trouble.  
  
"Archie!" snapped Maxie, the instant she saw him. "What brings your scum here?"  
  
"I could ask the same thing, you two-faced witch!" he snapped right back. They're eyes met in the middle, right on the clones.  
  
"So, you're after Jirachitwo?" asked Maxie, her voice full of contempt. "Well, it won't happen, because Jirachitwo is going to serve Team Magma."  
  
"Over my dead body!" retorted Archie. "You'll have to fight Team Aqua first!"  
  
{What do they want with me?} asked Jiratwo, with a slight whimper in her mental voice. {I don't like them.....}  
  
{They're evil," answered Celitwo. She focused on Mewtwo. {We need to get out of here.}  
  
{I do not know if we can,} he replied, though it seemed difficult for him to admit that. {If we move, they attack. I do not know if I am strong enough to hold them all off.}  
  
"So, this is the infamous Team Aqua and Team Magma," said Giovanni, having to get his two-cents in. "How pathetic."  
  
"No one asked Team Rocket!" replied Maxie, disdainfully. "Go back to your own league, with your petty schemes."  
  
"We have important business!" shouted Archie.  
  
"It seems we are all here for the same reason," said Giovanni, calmly. He had all reason to be calm. Half of his weapons had just shifted over to the other two gangs. "One of those pokemon is mine. It escaped from me, and I am here to reclaim it."  
  
{I was never yours!} Celitwo practically spat. Her anger caused her to find her voice.  
  
"It is a pity only one of us will be victorious," said Archie, his weapons swinging around to met Team Rocket's and Team Magma's. "Glory to Team Aqua!"  
  
{I hope they kill each other,} muttered Mewtwo.  
  
"It is about time I erased your filth from the earth!" snapped Maxie, urging her weaponists to be prepared to attack the others as well.  
  
The air grew thick with unseen tension. The weapons were all at full power, ready to turn the charred clearing into a place full of dangerous cross fire. The clones stood alert, their eyes never lingering in one place long.  
  
{What are we going to do?} asked Celitwo.  
  
Mewtwo didn't answer. He was too busy summoning his powers. He knew it would be getting very dangerous in a few minutes. He began to glow slightly with his blue aura. That wasn't very reassuring to Celitwo.  
  
"So, it seems the victor of our battle will walk away with three prizes?" asked Giovanni. Maxie and Archie looked back at the clones, after having temporarily forgotten they were there. "Assuming they don't escape when we are trying to 'eliminate' each other."  
  
"Shut-up!" snapped Archie and Maxie.  
  
{I want to leave.....} whispered Jiratwo.  
  
{I think we are trapped,} muttered Celitwo. {What is going to happen to us?}  
  
{Is they have their way.....it will not be good,} answered Mewtwo. His eyes seemed to focus on Giovanni more than the other two. Hatred like that is hard to forget.  
  
"This is the day we put an end to Team Aqua," said Maxie, her eyes burning, not letting Archie out of her sight.  
  
"It is you who will meet your end today," replied Archie, coldly. He gave an invisible command to his weaponists, and they positioned themselves to attack.  
  
{Be ready,} said Mewtwo, his body glowing slightly still. {When they attack each other, we run.} Jiratwo nodded.  
  
"I am sure we would all love to see the others fall," said Giovanni. "But the stakes are much higher."  
  
"We don't care what Team Rocket has to say!" snapped Archie.  
  
"But it is in your best interest," replied Giovanni. "I have a proposition. First, we deal with the pokemon, which is why all we came here. Between our three organizations' power, they won't stand a chance. Once they are subdued, we can split them among ourselves. Since there are three, it should work out nicely. After that we can carry out any threats made here today."  
  
Mewtwo could not have shown a look with more venom in it. Celitwo just looked horrified, and Jiratwo was terrified.  
  
{Is he always like that?} asked Jiratwo, with a shudder.  
  
{I do not like this.....} said Mewtwo, drawing more of his own power out.  
  
{The way he talks?} asked Jiratwo.  
  
{Not that..... I do not think we can withstand attacks from all of them,} he answered.  
  
{I'm not going back!} exclaimed Celitwo.  
  
{Do you think they'd really split us up?} asked Jiratwo.  
  
{I do not doubt it,} said Mewtwo. {They will all attack us. But once we are unconscious, they will betray each other. They are plotting it now.}  
  
{What does that mean for us?} asked Celitwo.  
  
{Absolutely nothing good,} said Mewtwo.  
  
"I agree," said Maxie, after much consideration. "But all threats to my people must be held off until we have decided the fate of our clone."  
  
"I agree too," added Archie, somewhat resentfully. "But when we are through with them, I am finishing Team Magma."  
  
"Fair enough," said Giovanni with a smile that was simply sickening.  
  
As if on an invisible command, all of the artillery turned away from the gangs and pointed at the clones.  
  
"I should have killed you long ago," thought Mewtwo.  
  
{Now what?} asked Jiratwo, her eyes wide.  
  
{We are going to have to fight,} replied Mewtwo. Although the thought of those two fighting without any training made him cringe.  
  
{I'm not going back....} moaned Celitwo, her eyes darting around more frantically than ever.  
  
The gang leaders gave commands to their grunts. A moment later there was the unmistakable sound of weapons being readied. Another second later a wave of dark light shot at the clones, coming from all sides. 


	14. Enough Time

Jiratwo tightly closed her eyes as the attacks were launched. Mewtwo instantly threw all of his power into a Barrier, which he extended around all the clones. His entire body glowed blue from the massive amounts of energy he was using. But he doubted if it would survive a triple onslaught. Celitwo panicked, completely. Her eyes flashed green.  
  
Time seemed to stand still as the gangs' attacks would decide their fate. Actually, time was standing still.  
  
{What?} asked Mewtwo, noticing the dark energy hovering about six feet from where he stood.  
  
{Is it over yet?} asked Jiratwo, whose eyes were still tightly shut.  
  
{Yes,} answered Mewtwo. But other than that he was preoccupied with their surroundings.  
  
Not only had the attacks been halted. So had everything else. Giovanni stared down at them, his face contorted into a haughty laugh. Maxie looked happy at the destruction she was about to cause. Archie stared ahead, his eyes glued on his target. Their grunts had also stopped moving, all glaring evilly at their enemies.  
  
{W-What happened?} stammered Celitwo. She looked around with wide eyes.  
  
{What are they doing?} asked Jiratwo, who had finally opened her eyes.  
  
{Frozen in time,} answered Mewtwo, who was still examining the situation.  
  
{How did you do that?} asked Jiratwo, sounding impressed.  
  
{I did nothing,} Mewtwo answered, honestly. {As far as I know, there is only one pokemon with powers over time... Celebi.} He turned his attention to Celitwo.  
  
{D-Do you mean to say t-that I did this?!} gasped Celitwo.  
  
{You are the only one who could,} he answered.  
  
{B-But, I mean..I can't!} Celitwo continued to protest. {Can I?}  
  
That question was answered in a rather unexpected way. Between the frozen humans, amid the shocked clones, a strange light began to grow. It seemed to be coming from several different sources. Mewtwo once again tensed up, expecting an attack. Jiratwo looked around in star-struck wonder.  
  
{Now what?} asked Celitwo. Her wings had been buzzing for some time, and she seemed exceptionally jumpy.  
  
{Something psychic,} answered Mewtwo, focusing more on the disturbance than the other clones.  
  
Tiny figures began to emerge from the light. They weren't very tall, about a foot and a half to just under three. They were green, with tiny wings coming out of their backs. Two curly antennas popped out of each head. They flitted among the clearing, exploring.  
  
{What are they?} asked Jiratwo, awed.  
  
One, who appeared to take the lead flew up to Celitwo. It began to speak to her rapidly in poke-speak.  
  
"Cellie, beeee, celi-celi. Be-beee-beee. Celi-celbi," it said. It sounded like it was reprimanding her.  
  
{A Celebi,} answered Mewtwo, not taking his eyes off of the darting figures.  
  
{They're cute!} exclaimed Jiratwo.  
  
{D-Do you mean that, that these are the creatures I was created from?} asked Celitwo.  
  
{Yes,} answered Mewtwo.  
  
The lead Celebi turned back to Celitwo and continued his lecture.  
  
"Ceelllbi. Celbi, celbi. Biiieee. Ceee, ciiiii. Biiiieee-ceellie," he continued. 'You cannot go around, messing with time. The results of something going wrong..I don't want to think about it.'  
  
"Celli. Biiee?" asked another Celebi as she fluttered over. 'How was she able to do this, anyways?'  
  
'I..I don't know,' stammered the other.  
  
'We Celebi are the only ones, decided by nature, to have power over time. So how is it that this creature can do this?'  
  
'I don't know!'  
  
'Then ask her!'  
  
The lead Celebi turned back to Celitwo. He looked her over once before resentfully asking; 'So, how did you do it?'  
  
{I-I don't know,} replied Celitwo, who looked like she wanted to do nothing more than run away from it. She glanced around for an escape, but all she saw was curious Celebi and the frozen faces of the humans.  
  
'How can you not know?!' he exclaimed.  
  
'Who are you?' asked the female Celebi.  
  
{I am C-Celitwo,} she stammered, her nerves beginning to overcome her.  
  
'Never heard of your kind before,' replied the girl Celebi. She started to flit around Celitwo, muttering comments about her appearance like; 'Nice wings,' or 'What is that stuff coming off of your head?'  
  
'That doesn't answer how she was able to do all of this!' protested the first Celebi.  
  
{I know!} exclaimed Jiratwo. She looked like she wanted to do nothing more than play with the Celebi pack.  
  
'You do?' asked the female Celebi.  
  
{Yeah! Celitwo was made from you!} chimed Jiratwo.  
  
{I am not sure we should tell them this,} said Mewtwo cautiously.  
  
'Made from us?' asked Celebi. 'We are going to have to take her before the council.'  
  
{What?} asked Celitwo, her wings vibrating faster.  
  
'Well, we can't have time freezing all over the place now, can we,' said the second Celebi.  
  
'Yeah, the leaders need to decide what to do with her,' agreed the first.  
  
{You're not going to take Celitwo away from us, are you?} asked Jiratwo, showing puppy-dog eyes. (Or should we say Growlithe eyes?)  
  
{You aren't taking her anywhere without us,} stated Mewtwo.  
  
'Can they come?' asked the first Celebi.  
  
'I don't know, no one has ever asked before,' replied the second. 'I don't see why not.'  
  
'Well, we have to get going, before the council finds us,' replied the first. He turned to the clones, 'Well, let's go!'  
  
"I'll tell the others to restore time,' said the second Celebi as she flitted off. Soon it was hard to distinguish her from the rest of her pack.  
  
'Just, don't cause any trouble,' warned Celebi. 'Follow me.' His eyes flashed as he Teleported, taking Celitwo with him. This left Mewtwo and Jiratwo with no other choice but to follow. Mewtwo had to help Jiratwo with the Teleport.  
  
The rest of the Celebi pack continued to dart around the clearing. Then, as one group, they used their psychic powers, restored time, and vanished.  
  
Maxie, Archie, and Giovanni smiled evilly as their attack barbequed half of the clearing. But when the dust settled, the clones were gone.  
  
"What the h--- happened?!" demanded Giovanni. Several other foul words could be heard form various people. But then came the unmistakable sound of weapons finding new targets. 


	15. The Celebi Council

AN/ Sorry it took so long to update. I've had computer problems like you wouldn't believe. For more info see my bio. In fact, if anything comes up, it will be in my bio, so y'all might like to check it out from time to time. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
{Where are we?} asked Celitwo, nervously. The Celebi had taken the three clones to the middle of a deep forest. Strange pokemon calls echoed through the trees, although the pokemon behind the sound where nowhere to be seen. Celitwo looked around nervously, her wings buzzing slightly on occasion. Her eyes kept darting to the flitting shapes of Celebi, as they wove and disappeared in the thick foliage.  
  
{It's beautiful,} replied Jiratwo, who, too, was watching everything that happened. But the expression on her face was one of awe. She was spellbound by her surroundings.  
  
"Come with us," said the male Celebi, looking straight at Celitwo. He didn't even acknowledge the other clones with her.  
  
Celitwo hesitated, looking over at her two friends, before she followed Celebi. Mewtwo watched with narrowed eyes as they walked away. He then made up his mind and followed them.  
  
{Do you think Celitwo will be okay?} asked Jiratwo as she appeared by his side.  
  
{I will not let anything happen to her,} replied Mewtwo, his voice dangerously low. Jiratwo looked him over once before disappearing in the treetops like the Celebi.  
  
The two remaining clones entered a small clearing where the trees seemed to form a circle. Several older Celebi sat in the branches, looking down at them. Celitwo walked into the middle and looked very nervous. Mewtwo stayed in the shadows on the side and watched.  
  
"Is this the one?" asked one of the elder Celebi, a female.  
  
"Yes, I say it myself and she doesn't deny it," replied the one who had led them here.  
  
"But how could it have happened?" asked another.  
  
"How did you manage to free time?" asked yet another.  
  
{I have a name,} replied Celitwo, her nerves in her mental voice. {It is Celitwo. And I don't know how I did it.}  
  
"How can you not know?" asked one.  
  
"Patience!" replied an even older Celebi. She turned to Celitwo. "I have never even seen your kind before. My tribe is from the far south. We have never even heard tales of your kind before."  
  
{I'm the only one,} said Celitwo, a bit sadly.  
  
"Certainly your family.."  
  
{No, I am the only one,} repeated Celitwo.  
  
"The smaller one that came with her said she had been created from us," replied the male Celebi. The rest of the Celebi council looked very confused. Celitwo was looked more and more nervous each moment.  
  
"That would explain why she has some of our powers," said the eldest female, at great length.  
  
"But what do we do about her?"  
  
"Well, what do we do if one of our own lose control of their powers?" the first Celebi asked.  
  
"We send that one to an experienced elder to learn to control their powers better," answered one who hadn't spoken let.  
  
"But she isn't one of our own," said another, a bit gruffly.  
  
The Celebi council broke down into a heated debate. Mewtwo sighed a bit. He quickly checked to see where Jiratwo had wondered off to. She found her, playing the pokemon's equivalent of tag with some of the younger Celebi. He rolled his eyes.  
  
(The Celebi council is made up from the oldest member of each tribe of Celebi. The tribes are quite far apart and live in the thickest forests in the world. Most tribes are small, no more than ten members. The largest happens to be the tribe in the Ilex Forest, which is also the place where the council meets.)  
  
"Well, we have to do something," declared a Celebi as some order was regained. "It is our job to keep time flowing smoothly."  
  
"She needs to be taught," said the eldest, simply.  
  
"So, who should that burden fall on?" asked another. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed when he heard this. Celitwo's wings buzzed slightly.  
  
A few Celebi murmured an answer, but for the most part it went silent.  
  
{I will teach her,} said Mewtwo, boldly, as he stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Can he do that?" asked a Celebi in the back.  
  
"Why not?" replied another.  
  
Celitwo looked over at Mewtwo hopefully, but he didn't look her in the eyes.  
  
"Do you think he can handle it?"  
  
{Yes, I can,} replied Mewtwo, sharply. He didn't like anyone talking to him like he wasn't there.  
  
"But should we let him?" answered one Celebi to the group. The broke into a furious discussion in poke-speak. It went longer than last time. For Celitwo, it was nerve racking. She had no idea what would happen to her if the Celebi decided to separate her from her only friends.  
  
"So be it," said the eldest when the conversation had stopped. "You, Mewtwo, will be in charge of her training. And make sure she does not manipulate time again. You will have the whole council to answer to if that happens."  
  
{I agree,} answered Mewtwo, shortly.  
  
{Thank you,} replied Celitwo, softly. Mewtwo gave no sign that he had heard her.  
  
"Leave in peace, we bear you no ill will," dismissed the eldest. With that the Celebi slowly began to flit off.  
  
{Thanks for helping..} started Celitwo.  
  
{Come, we have to find Jiratwo,} interrupted Mewtwo.  
  
{O..okay,} stammered Celitwo. "He must be really mad with me..."  
  
They found Jiratwo, still playing with the younger Celebi.  
  
{Hi!} exclaimed Jiratwo, happily. {Did everything work out?}  
  
{Yes,} answered Mewtwo.  
  
{I'm glad!} said Jiratwo with a little giggle.  
  
{We are leaving,} said Mewtwo, bluntly.  
  
{Okay,} sighed Jiratwo. She waved to her playmates then hovered beside the other clones. They all took to the skies and flew off.  
  
{So, where are we going?} asked Jiratwo, at length.  
  
Mewtwo paused before answering, {I am not sure.} 


	16. Thoughts in the Night

AN/ A thousand apologizes for the long silence! A thousand! I had a case of writer's block with this fic. I know what I want to do down the line, but getting there has yet to form in my mind..well, here's to chipping away at writer's block. Sorry for the delay again! And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (  
  
Mewtwo sighed and looked up at the night sky. The stars were shine brightly. Nonetheless, he was very unease. He had volunteered to help Celitwo just because he knew what it was like to be ostracized for being a clone. He hadn't thought through how he would actually teach her to use her time controlling abilities. Those were even outside his realm of comprehension.  
  
He glanced down where the two other clones were sleeping. They seemed so peaceful, so innocent, so happy. He knew that Celitwo had been hurt in the past before, but to Jiratwo, the harsh reality of the world was unknown. Mewtwo wanted to protect them from the hardships he had gone through. That was a strange feeling for him, because he never knew what it was like to have sincere friends like this who knew what it was like to 'walk in his shoes.'  
  
He glanced up at the waning moon again. The moon seemed so much like him, all it did was reflect, it came out with the shadows. It could only show its face when the world slept. That was how it was for him too, and now for these other two clones.  
  
Celitwo moaned slightly, then woke up. Her dreams had been clouded, nonetheless, they were far from happy. She always seemed on edge, and even her sleep reflected that. Her eyes darted around nervously, and she saw Mewtwo awake and staring into space.  
  
{Is everything okay?} she asked as she walked over.  
  
{Yes,} he answered, though he sounded distracted.  
  
{What are you thinking about?} Celitwo asked.  
  
Mewtwo paused and looked at her. In all honesty, she had been on his thoughts the most, not that he'd ever admit that. {Just wondering about our place in this world and what our lives are worth.}  
  
{You spend a lot of time alone thinking, don't you?} asked Celitwo. Mewtwo looked at her surprised. That was completely true.  
  
{Yes...}  
  
{Do you like being alone?} asked Celitwo. For a moment she feared he would answer yes and leave them.  
  
Mewtwo took a long time in answering. {I have always been alone, it seems. That is just how things are.}  
  
{But do you like it that way?}  
  
Mewtwo again had to think about the answer. That was the way things had always been for him. It was safe that way, he didn't have to trust anyone. But there were times when loneliness would press in around him like a weight. {No..I guess not.}  
  
Celitwo smiled. It felt like a burden had been lifted from her. She hated it when she was asked to leave those she cared about, like when she left Dr. Maple. She looked back at Mewtwo, whose mind had again wondered. {What else is bothering you?}  
  
He looked at her and gave a small sigh. {I wonder how I am going to teach you to not manipulate time.}  
  
Celitwo seemed surprised by this answer. She hadn't been too concerned with that. {We'll figure something out.} Mewtwo nodded, but he still seemed concerned. {Do not worry, you're not alone any more.}  
  
Celitwo was surprised to see a small smile flicker across his face when she said that. But it vanished so fast she wasn't sure if it had really been there, or if it was her imagination. It seemed to her that he almost always had a Barrier up. Not a shield to repel attacks, but more to repel anyone and anything from getting close to him. She knew what it was like to go through pain, but she also knew that the three of them were safe together. So why did he still try to keep them out? That she had no answer to.  
  
{Are you tired?} he asked.  
  
{Not really.}  
  
{I guess now is as good a time as any to start your training then.}  
  
Celitwo seemed surprised by this, and her wings vibrated slightly. {Yes...}  
  
{Do you remember what you were thinking when you froze time?} asked Mewtwo.  
  
{I was afraid,} she answered. The look on his face told her that wasn't what he was asking. {All I wanted was for the attacks to stop.}  
  
Mewtwo thought that through a moment. If he had been thinking along those lines, his subconscious would have thrown up a Barrier. This was going to be harder than he thought. {It appears that much of your psychic powers are still locked inside your subconscious. Our first task then should be putting you in control of them, instead of waiting for them to randomly come out.}  
  
{That...makes sense,} agreed Celitwo, hesitantly.  
  
{Come this way,} said Mewtwo as he lead her away from the still sleeping Jiratwo.  
  
He began to coach her on how to bring out her basic psychic powers. But her hesitation was the greatest hindrance they encountered. Morning was beginning and they had barely accomplished anything. Mewtwo was certainly no closer to unlocking her time-manipulating powers than before. Celitwo was getting frustrated with herself. They were both tired from a sleepless night.  
  
Jiratwo awoke, full of light, life, and energy. She giggled and flew around with child-like eagerness, truly happy to be alive. Mewtwo sighed. Things never were going to be the same.  
  
AN/ Okay, sorry for the short chapter after the long silence! I'm apologizing still!!! Don't lynch me! If you do, you'll never get updates!!! Hopefully writer's block will fade by the next chapter. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! ( 


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